Diary for aroundtheworld2


Goodbye to Victoria

2012-08-18

Ed and I have worked all summer to pack up our belongings and get the house ready for tenants. We had many unexpected expenses but the electrician, the painters, the stove vent man and the Roto-rooter man are all happy with our contributions. We are tired of scrubbing and are ready for the beach. We have lovely tenants and excellent property management people to look after things. Goodbye dear house--we will see you next year.


Everything has worked out well

2012-08-22

We caught the Pacific Coach Lines bus to the ferry and at the Vancouver airport the hotel sent us a shuttle to their place. Had a wonderful Greek dinner at a nearby restaurant. Feel more rested and excited about seeing our first exotic locale, Hong Kong. Hong Kong is supposed to be hot (around 30C ) and rainy so I will put my umbrella into my backpack.


Hong Kong

2012-08-25

After two dinners within 6 hours on the plane and around 5 hours of on and off sleep we arrived in Hong Kong. Trains or buses. That was the first decision when we got to wild Hong Kong. I had the address for our Embassy Hotel right downtown on Nathan Road but didn't know the best way to get there. We chose buses so we could see part of the city. We wanted a little bit of Chinese food so Ed had the spicy peanut noodles and I had my first bowl of chicken noodle soup (I expect to eat many, many bowls of every version of this soup).

We arrived downtown and it looked like a Chinese New York--all lights and people. I knew it was going to be a maze to find our hotel and it was--Ed found the right address but it was on a corner-then up a little scary alley we went and there it was. Our room was called the Caribbean and had pictures of pirates on the wall. One of the smallest twin beds I have ever seen had a ruffled canopy for the female pirate touch. The mattress was sooooo hard like our old hotel D&D in Bangkok years ago. But we got a quick handheld shower and lay down to soothe our backs. We both couldn't sleep well and so finally got up around 4:30 and were on the streets at 5:15 am. The streets now were empty except for the few early risers who gave us strange looks as we looked for the bus stop back to the airport. The bus ride back was like a paid tour of the harbours. I have downloaded a video for your pleasure.


Ed catches up

2012-08-26

Sorry that I have left all the diary entries to Esther but I have been way too busy having a wonderful time. Hong Kong was great- busing to the Kowloon district in a rather seedy part of town was exciting and scary. We hit the "downtown" of Kowloon and it was a claustrophobic blend of asphalt and neon. I think Esther felt it was Broadway on steroids! I asked the bus driver where the 400 block of this street was and and he just pointed and we jumped off. After a while searching we found that most buildings didn't have a number posted but we finally narrowed it down to a block it must be in. We finally wandered into an internal "alley" (Paul and Geri will recognize that this sounds like our first place in Bangkok with the scary guard who wanted to learn how to play crib). In a little niche was an elevator and the guard told us: third floor. We finally found the reception area after buzzing on the outside of a locked door and were let in by a very tiny lady. She had our reservation! We were frankly amazed. She took us down the 3 flights of stairs and out on the street, down and crossed another street and then up the elevator to the 6th floor of an even seedier buuilding. But we were "home" and so glad we had survived.

Yesterday was walking and more walking all around the beach and area of Kuta Beach. We have been up so early in the morning that we have to wait around for the free breakfast at 7. Yes, you heard that correctly: Esther (formerly known as Neufeld) has been up EVERY morning before the birds and the sun. Once we got her away from the weekly workload of a dedicated teacher, she has been fabulous. Have to go, we are going for a walk!


Bali Life

2012-08-26

We have been eating some wonderful Indonesian food--Ed picked a great hot and sour fish steamed in banana leaves. We love our mie goreng (fried noodles) and nasi goreng (fried rice) for breakfast, lunch or dinner.. Esther uses her handy dandy electric wand to make tea every morning by the cup. We get a big buffet breakfast free with this hotel so we get our choice of eggs, sausage, bacon, toast, croissants, cereal, fresh fruit (we love the papaya sprinkled with lime juice), mie and nasi goreng and endless cups of tea and coffee.

We like our hotel--its architecture, pools, friendly staff--an oasis from the wild, noisy, busy streets with people trying to sell you stuff all the time. We can see the charm of the place despite the ancient rusty sink taps, mould in most corners, broken tiles...it is a challenge to squat in the tub with your handheld shower wand to wash your hair.

We learned some important rules-at the pool--the poster reads--no jiggy jig--no love making allowed! It is so fun to swim up to the bar for our afternoon Bintang beer.

We have found a cute cafe for lunch and dinner called Warung Mina--very reasonable prices and lovely staff.


Water water everywhere nor any drop to drink

2012-08-30

Water sure is an essential part of our everyday routine here in Kuta, Bali. We buy two bottles (1 1/2 liters each) of water each day for drinking, brushing our teeth, making tea or coffee or cupasoup. You close your mouth when you are using the shower wand just to be safe from the contaminated water. And then there is this huge ocean of water that is so incredible to play in but cannot be used for the water shortage crisis here in Bali.

Ed and I have been enjoying swimming in our hotel pools and I love to play in the waves in the ocean. I think the waves tickle me so much that I can't stop smiling. My cheeks were hurting the other day from smiling and laughing so much on the beach. We have been very careful not to burn in the sun and slather on the sunscreen.


Don't be in a hurry, no one else is!

2012-08-30

That was one of the pieces of advice from Ed's Indonesian phrase book. I am on the hunt for the best chicken sate with peanut sauce and the most delicious cap cay (pronounced chap chai----a stir-fried vegetable dish with or without chicken). I had fabulous cap cay on my last trip 9 years ago with our Port Alberni friends Paul and Geri. The broth is so layered with delicate spices that I could slurp up every drop. So we have gone from little hole in the wall warungs (cafes) to pricier places and the one that wins out is the old standby Secret Garden Restaurant. It is on the other end of this area of Legian along Poppies Gang (alley) in Kuta and so a bit of a walk but well worth it. The owner Rod treated us to a delicious side dish of sautéed bok choy in chili sauce--I could have licked the plate. The chicken sate had thick pieces of tender chicken and came on its own miniature clay hibachi in the form of an animal with to die for peanut sauce--finally spicy enough for me. We have discovered the most mouthwatering thin crust pizza at our Mina Warung. It comes like a trophy on a thick round wooden plate but the pizza crust is so paper thin that it is like a piece of art. It is the perfect afternoon snack in the heat of the day-it is usually 29C by 2 pm.


Guest Villa

2012-08-30

Esther found our second place to stay on a web site called Air B and B. It is for private owners to rent out out their places. They all look good in the pictures. We approach two large heavy wooden doors in a massive brick and cement block walled compound- most impessive. Inside the compound is a garden area with Esther's favourite flower, the frangipani. A large, ornate building is our new home. It has a large (24 x 11) tiled veranda that included a sitting area and a short wall that separated the "kitchen", which contained a 3 foot fridge, a metal sink and a two burner propane "hot plate"- all outside. Two more massive wooden doors welcomed us into the interior. Then the fairy tale moment crumbled around us. The canopied bed, wrapped in mosquito netting, contained a mattress that I swore was a box spring, and was , I am positive, responsible for my subsequent visit to a very expensive chiropractor.

The bathroom sink and tub were so discoloured that Esther went out and bought a scrub brush and disinfectant to scrub it into submission. They provided us with only one towel and two pillows that could have passed for very thick door mats. However the 12 foot walls, a very clean swimming pool, very hot water, A-C, and free WiFi made up for it. We were once again charmed by our little home that had started out as a disappointment.


Wayan and Ketut

2012-09-01

Ed again- as usual a rupiah short and a day late. For those of you who don't recognize the title of this entry, Wayan and Ketut are the parents of a lovely family here in Bali, who were "adopted" by equally lovely Paul and Geri Richardson of Port Alberni. They, helped along by many of their wonderful friends, have supported this family of 6 since the 1970's. We met up with them the second day we were in Bali, had an entertaining lunch with them at our hotel and conducted some business. Wayan's English is now much better than our Balinese and he had to carry the conversation.

We met up with them again a few days later at our second hotel. Wayan came by motorbike and we took a cab with him to their house. For those of you not familiar with S.E. Asia traffic, that was an adventure in itself. The roads are narrow and the vehicles numerous, mainly swiftly driven motorbikes and scooters. Our little cab was engulfed by motorbikes like mosquitoes at a family picnic. Around Kuta Beach there are few traffic lights, except for an occasional flashing orange, which motorbikes only take as a slight suggestion to slow down. If car traffic comes to a stop because of congestion, the bikes keep going...through any daylight space they see. They swarm around the closest side of any frozen car, or use the side walk. This day was a Balinese religious celebration and the family was dressed in their finest ceremonial garb. We looked a little dowdy by comparison. We ate with them and had a great time.


Diving- Day trip to Tulamben

2012-09-02

On Friday, after we had a lovely free shuttle bus ride to the beach from our super hotel, the Goysen ( which is about a 20 minute, challenging in part, walk), and had such an engaging and informative talk with our driver, we later discovered he was the manager of the hotel. Ferdy was so knowledgeable and well read and spoke such superlative English, we hated to leave the car. We did chat about diving and snorkeling and the next day he said he and a friend were going diving at Tulamben, a small village on the East coast of Bali, and would we like to accompany them...we, of course, jumped at the chance.

At 8 Sunday morning, we headed out on an unexpected adventure.


Romantic sunset

2012-09-02

We thought of Jim Boyce when we danced to the setting sun last night in Candi Dasa.

Begin forwarded message:

> From: Ferdy Ferdian

> Date: 2 September, 2012 6:15:50 PM GMT+08:00

> To: edestherclifford@gmail.com

> Subject: Your pics

>

> Your moments.

>


The Indonesian believe- Teachers are heroes without medals

2012-09-03

The manager of our last hotel, Ferdy, befriended us and taught us a lot about the culture here. After he found out that we were teachers he said: "teachers are heroes without medals." He has 3 children who live on another island and he only gets to see them once every 2 or 3 months. He says "teachers have good karma." So teachers everywhere feel the love from the South Pacific!


Chicken for breakfast--why not?

2012-09-05

We eat eggs for breakfast, so why not chicken? We have had so many delicious Indonesian dishes for lunch or dinner and now we can add superb honey and ginger chicken for breakfast. We just can't believe how tiny the chicken pieces are. Then we had red-hot chili chicken spears--yummy. And to top it all off pineapple fish--that was a breakfast first.

We love the friendly Balinese people and their wonderful sense of humour. When we mentioned to our first waitress that we were from Canada--she said 'JUSTIN BIEBER?" And one taxi driver said: " Where are you from? CANADA? I

have a sister in Canada...Celine Dion."

So many street sellers come up to us trying to make a living selling sunglasses, sarongs, transport, and the latest one is viagra. When they offer it to Ed, I just say "My husband doesn't need it."


Tulamben Diving Part 2

2012-09-05

Ed again finishing our story of our trip to Tulamben. Ferdy, our wonderful hotel manager invited us to go along with his friend Dini (means Dawn and she was a bubbly and energetic travelling companion) in her car, to go diving with them. She brought her friend, Adyana, and he agreed to drive. Driving in Bali is an adventure in itself. Like with most things in Bali, driving is not encumbered with endless rules and regulations. There are few traffic lights and driving involves a cooperative give and take. The highway to Tumlamben is new, although very narrow compared to home. Most of the way there are solid lines or dotted lines suggesting when it is safe to pass. Adyana, our steely-nerved driver showed us how the system worked. When he came up behind someone driving too slowly, often their much smaller than home work trucks, he would beep the horn and pull out into the opposite lane. Motorbikes would dutifully pull over to the edge and make room. Other vehicles in the oncoming lane would flash their lights or beep, but a the same time slow down and move to the edge, avoiding the motorbikes. Noone seemed to be upset by it (except for the occasional Western driver or tourist). Sometimes there might be 5 or 6 vehicles all passing at the same time. If there was oncoming traffic each car would just meld into the pack with a quick beep. This all happens as motorbikes are passing at the same time on both sides.

Adyana got us safely to the Matahari (means sun) Resort and the four of us got suited up very quickly. The dive center and the resort restaurant are right on the beach. The beach was totally rounded rocks of all sizes, so they have a rope tied to a rock off shore. You hold on to it so you can walk out a little farther to put your fins on and off you go. Adyana and I had one dive and Ferdy and Dini had a second dive out to a sunken U.S. Navy Second World War ship- the Liberty. We so fell in love with the resort, we went up to the office and booked 3 nights there starting on the 10th! Esther and I went snorkelling right in front of the restaurant and she loved the variety of fish- a rainbow of colors and iridescent flashes- she was a regular Jacqueline Cousteau.

As we left we noticed that the arch to our resort framed the most sacred mountain in Bali - Mt Agung.

We hope that if you come to Bali, you may stay at the Hotel Gosyen and meet this wonderful man and his friends. They even stopped for a coffee break on the way home so we could watch the sun set a la Jim Boyce and dance on the terrace.


Ubud

2012-09-08

Ubud is in the mountains, surrounded by rice fields and construction. It seemed so much bigger than I remembered it from 9 and 12 years ago. When our shuttle bus from Kuta dropped us off, I thought the 50 000 rupiah ($5.00) they wanted for "transport" to our hotel was too much, so we started wheeling our packs down the sidewalks. Sidewalks in Bali are also an adventure in themselves. Often they are beautifully tiled but the heat, humidity and tropical rain are hard on all construction here. The storm drains run open under the sidewalks and sometimes the concrete panels become broken and collapse into the drain. The raised sidewalks in Ubud also dip down in front of each shop so you have to really keep keep your eyes down so you don't stumble or fall in a hole. We wheeled our cases about 5 roller coaster blocks and heard "transport" many times. Finally I realized I still didn't recognize where we were so at the next offer, I asked how much...30 000 rupiah...that was sounding like a real bargain. But, I thought of Paul, and offered 25 000 ($2.50) and started walking. The driver said okay and when we got in, he said he didn't know the hotel (it is quite new). Luckily we had their address and phone number and he called them on his cell. After a few minutes of driving I finally recognized where we were and after a long run up the steep hill of the Monkey Forest Road, I was glad we weren't walking any more. When we finally got to the hotel, i gave him the 30 000, The Bisma Sari is a beautiful little place sandwiched between rice fields. It has 4 lower units and 4 upper. We are on the bottom and walk out directly to the pool. It has a huge four poster bed draped in sheers (not as romantic when you realize it is mosquito nettIng). We only enclosed ourselves in it the first night as the mosquitoes weren't going to be a problem. Now it is back to romantic!


Ubud part 2

2012-09-09

We arrived in Ubud and immediately I got tickets for the Kecak Dance (monkey dance). I remembered this dramatic performance from 9 years ago and wanted Ed to experience it. It is a combo of dance, chanting and acting that describes an episode from the Ramayana epics where good battles evil. The 80 or so men are seated around a tower made of fire torches. Very memorable. Then comes the Fire Dance--a huge pile of coconut husks are put to fire and while the coals are still hot, a costumed man comes and runs right through them over and over again. It is amazing.

We hiked through the gorgeously green rice fields by Gusti's 2 Bungalows. The 2 hour walk takes you through the quiet countryside.

For some hilarous fun and scary moments, we rented a motorbike. Ed took us for hours through the city and into the surrounding villages. I decided to join in the excitement and went up and down the Jalan Bisma (street in front of our hotel). I asked Ed to be my passenger and he trusted me to give him a giggly time.

But our backs were sore and so today we had a fantastic full body massage for 1 hour for $6 dollars each. We got the special hut in the back which had a room for couples with 2 massage tables and a huge stone sunken bathtub with a rainshower. The massages were so relaxing and very thorough and got out every ache. At the end she told us we were welcome to have a wash. So exotic.

Since we have little room in our packs for big purchases, I am buying jewellery in every place we go. I have some lovely wood and silver earrings from Kuta, a silver ring which I use as my wedding ring (we left our wedding rings at home to keep them safe), and a beautiful wooden bangle with a peacock design. Every girl needs a bit of bling!


From the culture of Ubud to school (of fish, that is)

2012-09-12

Another exciting shuttle bus ride to Tulamben and we were at Matahari Dive Resort again. We got in late so we decided to snorkel right in front of our little resort. Again, walking into the ocean on the myriad of dark, rounded stones of the black volcanic beach was much harder work than the snorkelling. A great selection of fish, of course, Esther, ever the movie nut, was on the lookout for any species represented in "Finding Nemo"!

The next day we walked down the beach to scout out the entry point to view the U.S.S. Liberty Glo, a 400 foot Navy cargo ship. It was torpedoed during World War Two in the Lombok Strait and the navy towed it to Bali. They couldn't get it where they wanted, so they beached it at Tulamben and removed its cargo and expensive fittings. A volcanic eruption of Mt. Agung sent it 100 feet off shore. It lies there now becoming more encrusted with coral each year.

As I was walking on a sidewalk in front of the next resort over, a water pipe that drained water from the resort left a puddle and I, a perennial klutz, slipped and twisted my knee. Not serious but enough to deter me from scuba diving. Trying to navigate those rocks, especially for someone who can't walk safely on a concrete pad, didn't seem wise.

We did return and after a short swim out, came upon this mass rising out of the sand. It was eerily like coming on a shallow Titanic. Like ants swarming an ant hill, divers flitted in and out of its now exposed cargo holds 30 feet below us, their bubbles rising and surrounding us like a pearl sweater. I was not disappointed in missing my dive; I thought our view was better than theirs.


Dog paddling in the Pacific

2012-09-13

How can I follow my husband's beautiful prose! While my husband is a fish in the water, I am desperately doing the dog-paddle behind him. But I am learning--I was nervous about snorkelling and like anything, with practice, you do get better. I feel much more confident now about swimming and snorkelling after 3 glorious days of being in the sparkling Pacific.

Snorkelling has opened up a whole new exciting world for me. While I have gone snorkelling in Thailand, Mexico, and off Lombok, this time in Bali I have explored more and enjoyed the whole experience more. The colours of the fish and coral were so brilliant. I did think that some of the fish did not have fashion-sense as they mixed stripes and polka-dots. I thought some of the tiny fish were like children playing tag. And I swear I saw a momma fish scold her baby fish. Ed and I loved two fish who were like a husband and wife--they swam in parallel lines, shifting with the waves yet never separating--like innate synchronized swimming. On the coral grew organisms that looked like red hibiscus flowers opening and closing. And Ed and I loved the organism the looked like a pinkish human brain.

Snorkeling above the shipwreck was heart-pounding. I have never snorkeled in such deep water and with scuba divers underneath me. It is just like a slow-motion movie--the divers undulate like flowing seaweed. The bubbles from the scuba diver's air tanks float around you and through you--as if a life-force is embracing you. Very brave snorkellers take a huge breath and dive down, down, down to the ocean floor where they enter the shipwreck. I watched one diver and waited and waited for him to return. When he finally surfaced I called out that I was worried about him. He smiled and yelled "No worries"-- then I told him how scared I was to be out this deep and he said I was doing great!

We also watched night dives from our ocean-front Matahari (which means sun) restaurant. They take out powerful flashlights that give out long beams of light like a lighthouse or a Star Wars laser.

Okay, I'm hooked. Can hardly wait for our next snorkel trip in southern Thailand.


Kuta Been Somebody!

2012-09-19

We have returned to Kuta Beach for our last few days in Bali. My knee is still not quite right so we are not staying at our lovely Goysen Hotel because of the extra walking involved. Esther had a private surfing lesson (another 49th birthday week gift...thanks, Sylvia...) and was riding the waves almost from the start. We would have had some lovely videos of her if the klutz with the I-Pod Touch didn't keep putting his thumb in front of the camera.

We tried boogie boarding one day but found that harder than the surfing. I think you need flippers like we used with our friend Andre on Long Beach at home. Of course, I could be wrong, as the six year olds beside us were having no problems at all.

Saturday we are heading to Malaysia and are so excited to see ex-Port Albernites, Susan and Maurice who are living there now.


Bits and Bytes (mosquito too--ha ha)

2012-09-19

Hello all! Here is a mishmash of thoughts from our last week here in Bali. So this an Esther AND Eddie entry--should be interesting.

Ed has been on a hunt for the best black rice pudding (Ed says thanks to Laura for reminding him of his favourite dessert in Bali). The perfect pudding should be thick and hot with a swirl of hot coconut milk on top (even better with vanilla icecream and a dab of chocolate). Nomad Restaurant in Ubud wins! But Ed tried many that were thin like gruel with floating fillers that were unidentifiable. Black rice is grown here and it usually reserved for ceremonies. Ed says he will continue his investigation in Malaysia, Thailand and beyond (if they have any).

Mother nature in Bali is lush, breathtaking and formidable. When we were at Tulamben on the East Coast, on the first night , we thought our hotel was about to be torn apart and blown away by hurricane like winds. But it was just an ordinary occurence--no storm, no trees down, our laundry still on the drying rack outside our door....

We booked a private car to take us from the Tulamben to down south (about a 2 hour trip) Sanur. Before I go on,Ed wants to mention that travelling to Tulamben is partly a scam--you get there on an inexpensive shuttle bus $12 but the resorts conspired that you cannot get back on that shuttle--you must hire a car to take you anywhere with a minimum charge of $25 for a mere 10 minute drive.

Anyways, the driver , Silver, brought along his friend Blah Blah, because he could speak English. He entertained us thoroughly. Here are some of his astute comments:

"Children here have stomach problem at school." We were watching the uniformed students leave their schools around 1 p.m. and we thought that he meant that the children had the same problem as in Canada--that kids have stomachaches so they don't have to go to school. No-he meant that the teacher has no cooking faciiities and the chldren must leave school to go home to eat lunch (they start school at 7 a.m.).

"Living without joke is nothing--no life." We had to agree. We notice that as polite Canadians we smile and say hello to our neighbours while some don't even acknowledge our presence. We go out of our way to be good guests and engage the staff in simple courtesies while others mock them and demand service. So we will keep on joking and smiling and enjoying this precious life.

"Bali is woman island--induh-beautiful." We are constantly amazed at the pockets of rural solitude right next to the pits of construction or giant American malls. Here we are in Pedawa Hotel and it is like a secret jungle garden. The sculpted pool is like a meandering brook and the covered verandahs give cool relief. But we can hear shrieks of delight coming from the modern touristy Waterslide Park behind the wall of our hotel (they only scream from 9 am to 5 pm). Ed says but we live in Esquimalt where it is noisy everyday. Our motto--don't worry--be happy.

Time to go walk the beach. Selamat Tingall (means goodbye).


More meanderings

2012-09-20

With the hiring of the car from Tulamben we wanted to use it as a way of touring the island for the day. We stopped at Amed, known for its snorkeling, scubadiving and salt production. As you can see in the photos, the process is simply evaporation. The schoolgirls raced out to us to sell us their little salt baskets and it was hard to choose who to give the money to--I let them swarm Ed and he had to decide.

We then headed to Padang Bai which is a ferry terminal for Lombok and also has a fabulous bay aptly named "Blue Lagoon" (yes another movie reference--but imagine Brooke Shields as a grandmother now). The tourqoise greens and blues of the water and beach were breathtaking. We hope to go back one day to snorkel and see all kinds of sealife including turtles.

We then stopped at a temple "Goa Lawah" which is famous for its bat cave. A monk and a king survived going through the cave and were heralded as holy and pure (Ed says my Mennonite backbround will get me there someday).I did not even want to venture one foot into it.

We ended up on the beach opposite to Kuta called Sanur (or snore to the young people for its lack of surfing and nightlife) and had 3 days of slowing our pace down to a crawl (and I so enjoyed the High Tea Birthday treat on the ocean and the 2 beauty treatments).

Okay a new first for breakfast--you know you eat potatoes for breakfast in all shapes--from hash browns to pan fries etc. but garlic mashed potatoes that are beaten to a watery gruel? I had to try it for it looked like porridge to Ed.

I see Chicken ball soup is on the menu for tomorrow's breakfast--gotta have it.


Here is one for Mom

2012-09-20

Hi Mom! Thank you Rob and Irm for reading our diary entries to Mom!

We are thinking of you Mom and will phone you this next week. Finding an international phone is harder than we thought it would be for the ones we find on the street are right beside a loudspeaker and we would not be able to hear you or ourselves. But a few internet cafes have some so we shall hunt somemore.

My Mom wanted to know how I was keeping cool: I shopped for weeks before the trip looking for the thinnest t-shirts and shorts and pants- some are Indian cotton which allows the air to move through them. Ed bought several clothes from the travel stores which are especially made for heat and wick away the moisture. His favourite shirt is from Bev and Len--they gave us a gift card and I bought Ed a sleeveless white shirt from SportsMart that is amazing.

The other ways I keep cool are:

-- I drink lots of water

--I try to find airconditioning when I can (all our hotel rooms have air conditioning although last night ours didn't work and so we did sweat the night away--could account for why I am a wheeeeeeee bit cranky this morning).

--I wear my geeky Tilley's hat

--and I mop my face with one of Dad's handkerchiefs. It is beside me now and the sweat is trickling down my back to my seat. I will grab the handkerchief now to dab away the drops from my forehead that threaten to flood the keyboard.

And of course, laughter is the best medicine for the heat, so I am always thinking of you Mom and trying to do what you would do--see the best in things and smile.

Love you Mom


Last days of Bali

2012-09-25

We moved to a new place even closer to the beach for the last three days in Bali. It was in Tuban, which is just south of Kuta...they touch. It was just a zig-zag down a small alley (Gang) away from the main road. The Pendawa Hotel was a gorgeous garden oasis in the middle of chaos-stuck between the huge (for Bali) Discovery Shopping Mall, which is right on the beach at the southern bend of Kuta Beach, and the Waterbom Water Park. But...it was remarkably quiet.

We met the most wonderful Irish woman, Rose, who lives in Australia. She is a widow and her late husband was the Managing Director of a Brewery (so, of course, we warmed to her instantly). She goes to Bali for three months at a time and has been 50 times already (almost as many as Paul and Geri!). She knew everyone in the complex and where they were from and what they were up to. We started chatting with her around the pool and that evening she came knocking on our door. She said she knew this bar/restaurant where 2 Balinese singers played and sang and she thought they should be on American (Australian?) Idol. She said you must come with me tonight and have dinner and listen to them...her treat! Well, it was another fabulous adventure. Just getting there was hilarious. We could have walked there but her foot was bothering her and she wanted to take a cab. As soon as she got in the cab, she was haranguing the poor driver not to take the long way, take the short cut through the gangs. Because of the one way streets you had to drive away from our destination in heavy, slow-moving traffic, and circle in a huge arc until we could get to the street (We later found on the ride home that it was a quick few minutes to get home because the one way streets worked in our favour- a $1.20 cab ride with tip!

Once there we did have a delightful time listening to these two extremely talented musicians (guitars) and singers. They took requests and our Rose won the contest for most tunes played. Esther and I got up first of all to Michael Buble ("Home") and slow danced our way into Rose's heart. It brought tears to her eyes, remembering all the good times with her husband. She was hilarious. She was so annoyed that so many people were ignoring the music, facing away from the singers and continuing their conversations. She kept making note of this point in a very loud voice through the remainder of the night. Esther was worried that we might be thrown out or attacked. Rose was also annoyed that no one was putting money into their tip bowl. She mad a great show of waving a 100 000 rupiah note ($10) as she walked to the front and dropped it into their bowl. It didn't seem to faze the audience but it made me feel guilty and we dropped a sizeable donation in as well.

Esther and I danced a jive later on and Rose proceeded to poke me in the arm the rest of the night telling me to get up there and dance.

Rose was a treasure and we were so sorry that that evening was our last in Bali and we would have to leave before getting to know her better. As I write this, I miss Bali and I miss our Rose.


Last Days of Bali part 2

2012-09-25

Ed and I were walking along the beach when we came across a very peaceful shaded park area. It was so unusual to find a quiet acreage that I wondered why families were not taking advantage of this haven and having picnics here. Ed was observing more than me and said "I don't think this a park--it is a cemetery." I looked around and suddenly saw the broken headstone pieces and bamboo fences around some gravesides.

Ed explained that for funerals in Bali, it is customary to cremate the bodies on the beach in an elaborate ceremony. But is is very expensive. Something like $5000 and so only the well-off can do it right away. Poorer families must bury their loved ones in cemeteries until they have saved enough money to pay for the ceremony and cremation. So we were seeing some empty graves where they had dug up the bodies for their final release. And we were seeing the graves of those who were still waiting.

Another lesson learned for this traveller.


A week of luxury in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

2012-09-26

Ed and I have been enjoying a week of luxurious living in the apartment of our dear B.C. friends Maurice and Susan. Maurice works for an oil company here in K.L. and Susan is a retired teacher who used to teach with Ed. Their place is right near downtown and we can see the magnificent, tall Petronas Twin Towers from our window. I remember the towers from the thriller heist movie "Entrapment" (okay, here she goes again with her movie trivia) with Sean Connery and Catherine Zeta Jones.

We have been pampered with their gourmet cooking and generous hospitality. We were treated to an outstanding vegetarian restaurant. Ed and I know little about vegetarian food but the dishes were simply amazing-- we have never eaten more mouth-watering eggplant with pesto sauce, gigantic mushroom pieces in spicy Rendang sauce and tantalizing tofu (I am sounding like a crazed food critic)!

We have loved swimming in the huge pool, going for walks in their nearby park oasis and being in the hustle and bustle of a very clean, huge metropolis of a city.

Susan has been our guide during the day and we have gone on the LRT (subway and above ground train system) to Chinatown, Little India, The Islamic Arts Museum, the Historic Colonial Train Station and the Central Market.

I had read about the national Malaysian dish, Nasi Lemak, and Susan had heard about the restaurant called "Precious." It was like a step back in time--heavy antique Chinese and Malaysian tables and counters and booths divided by panelled murals made up the restaurant. We saw that some other guests were eating blue rice--and it intrigued us--it was so delicious!! White rice steamed in coconut milk and blue pea flowers (that bees really like). And the Rendang chicken was so flavourful we could have licked the spoons (oh, I did). Ed wanted some prawns and the King Prawns as long as our hands came in a huge bowl of creamy golden broth--a passerby saw all our food and advised, "Eat slowly--take a bite and just enjoy that flavour." The broth was heavenly--a perfect blend of silky coconut milk, fragrant delicate Eastern spices and a hint of tantalizing red fiery peppers. I am sighing right now and want to go back--can I break out in song " food glorious food!" from the musical "Oliver?"

Time for bed and we shall see what tomorrow shall bring. Good night all. Take care and we love you all.


Good morning, Vietnam...

2012-09-30

We arrived in Hanoi after saying good-bye to Susan and Maurice on Saturday. To follow up Esther's blog, we ate so well the whole time we were there. Maurice and Susan usually eat so healthily (until we showed up!). As soon as we got there we had a wonderful soup and salad, all natural, organic and raw when possible. We have been so careful about eating salads in S.E. Asia, because of the problem with things rinsed with tap water, that we dove right in. It was spectacular! The next day, Maurice lightly pan seared some tuna in sesame oil covered in sesame seeds. It was fabulous. Susan added more fresh salad with avocado and quinoa. By that time we were believing they were reaching sainthood because of their healthy eating habits, they took us to a whole street full of Chinese restaurants, all with outside plastic tables and chairs, each one's waiters holding up picture menus in front of your face while walking quickly to their tables, beckoning you to follow. This continued restaurant after restaurant...we finally sat down to prawns, calamari, chicken satay...on and on. We were starting to think Susan and Maurice were human after all. Then the next night they took us out again to another great restaurant (I know the name ended in Fatt so I was really excited). The steamed tuna and crab (with huge lobster type pincers) highlighted another feast. Our respect for them grew even larger. Such noble, intelligent and disciplined eating, but then bursts of just exploring and savouring food. Susan and Maurice, you were such wonderful and gracious hosts- thank you so much; we wished we could stay at your luxury resort until we had to return to Canada in February, but we know if both fish and company start to smell after 3 days, then what must it be like after a week!

Before we left, Susan acted as a gracious tour guide, escorting us around KL (as we learned the locals call Kuala Lumpur) hitting its Chinatown on one day and Little India the next. Both involved exotic savoury dining experiences.

She also took us on an exciting adventure (again while poor Maurice had to work) to a fascinating place which included a canopy walkway, narrow suspension bridges high up in the tree tops (actually looking down at the tops of most of the trees) about 90 feet above the jungle floor. Then right over to Batu Caves- a Hindu shrine in a huge, magnificent cave. The stairs gave our legs a real workout as we had just climbed a jungle mountain (okay, maybe it was hill) to get to the canopy walkway.

We have come to Hanoi to rest and recuperate as both Esther and I have developed colds.


Ha-noi-sy street because of Autumn Lunar Festival

2012-10-01

Arrived in Hanoi on Saturday afternoon and had an hour's wait at the airport because of a computer breakdown (apparently it usually only takes about ten minutes). We got our visas the day after we applied online.

Got into our hotel, the Golden Wings II, and went for a walk around the small lake, Hoan Kiem, 5 minutes south of our hotel. As we circled the lake (about a 30 minute stroll), we realized it was full of young lovers, holding hands as they slowly walked, wanting to make the evening last, or sat tight to each other on the numerous benches dotted around the edge (Esther and I felt right at home). 9 years after our last visit everyone seemed so modern and hip- tight jeans and voluminous, spiked upswept hair (and the girls looked nice too). It was the day before the Full Moon Festival, a cross between Harvest celebration and Halloween. It was really a time for children, able to dress up in masks and devil horns and carry wands and plastic "maces". One scooter almost hit us as we crossed the street as the passenger was taking a playful swing at the one beside her. Yes, Vietnamese driving. An article in the New York Times I remember seeing was titled: "The Riddle- WHY Did the Tourist Cross The Road, Should Have Read: How..."

We remembered the procedure from our last visit; grab hands and step off the curb, walk slowly and steadily across both lanes allowing the scooters to flow around you- you do have to give cars a bigger space to snake around you. You have to make sure you can see in both directions as scooters like to take the short cut against the flow, even on one way streets. We crossed one intersection that was jam-packed tight with scooters, cars and pedestrians, and we walkers had the advantage for once! We were able to wind our way through the stalled bikes and cars. The amazing thing: this was the day before the Festival. We got back to our hotel and tried to battle our colds.

The next night we braved the night and even headed to the night market- 6 blocks of closed off street loaded down the center with stalls selling everything you could think of. The young lovers this night were off the benches and on the scooters flying around the lake and around the night market area. We made our way to a familiar spot, a restaurant balcony that overlooked one such intersection, and just enjoyed the show (I know Paul and Geri will recognize this exact location). We hope the video captures the moment (and is right side up!).


Colds in hot Hanoi

2012-10-02

Hi everyone. Esther here. I have been down with a bad cold and Eddie has been taking such great care of me. My nose has been running continuously so we are on our second big box of tissues. The fever has me laying low and drinking water profusely so Eddie and I try to take our walks and then he lets me nap.

We are so lucky to be in the best part of Hanoi where everything is a step away--the park, the restaurants, the drugstores etc. We were tucked away nicely and cheaply in the back of a budget hotel but Eddie found us a fantastic brand new luxury hotel around the corner for $5 more. They upgraded us to a suite and so we even have a living room with a couch, big screen tv and the most modern sparkling bathroom.

I hope I am better tomorrow and we can do what Eddie longs to do and take a cyclo (a sort of tricycle with your own pedaller) around the area to take in some sights and museums. I also hope to go to the famous Water Puppet Show--where the puppeteers are knee and waist deep in water with these magical creatures.


Happy Thanksgiving

2012-10-06

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

Ed and I know that we are blessed with so much. We have a loving Clifford family and a Neufeld family. We have a wonderful 86 year old mother who gives us happiness, laughs and common sense advice. We have a son with a generous heart. We have 3 fabulous grandchildren who we miss every day. We have a strong amd kind daughter-in-law. We have the support and friendship of life-long friends. We have good health to pursue our dream of travelling the world. And after 6 weeks of travelling, my husband and I still like each other--we are still laughing every hour like great friends.

Ed and I are finally getting over our colds. We have had a slow week of recuperating. We did walk the many streets of the Old Quarter of Hanoi. We went through the Vietnam Military Museum which explains history from their point of view--how this country has been fought over by the French, the Chinese, and the Americans. It was hard to see the destruction war causes to people, land and family lives.

We also were lucky enough to get front row seats to the Water Puppet show. I got to see how the lights, musicians puppets and puppeteers all come together to create a story.

We are looking forward to our next adventure. We are heading to Halong Bay which is about a 4 hour drive from Hanoi. I have always wanted to go on a Junk Boat cruise (named after the Chinese Junk Boats but did they carry junk??) . Ed is game and so we are going to sail around the amazing limestone karsts in an area now protected by UNESCO to preserve its heritage. We plan to go sea kayaking around caves, hopefully swim in the ocean and climb up some of the islands. We will sleep aboard the ship for 1 night--our thanksgiving.

Again, sending you all our love.


Our Halong Bay adventure

2012-10-09

Ed and I spent our Thanksgiving weekend aboard the Vietnamese junkboat called " V Spirit." It had 7 cabins, a dining room and a huge deck on top (half covered to provide shade from the sun).

We travelled in a small bus with 7 others- some from Singapore, Australia and Utah. Our tour guide Tam spoke English well and told us much about the history of each place we passed. We passed over the Red River (yes, Manitobans they have one too). We saw rice being harvested with both machine threshers and with oxen. It felt like the richness of the earth was all around us--what a bountiful thanksgiving.

The drive was very long (4 hours) due to the congested traffic and police enforced speed limits of between 40 and 60 km per hour--of course the cows meandering over the highways didn't help either. We had a pit stop and Tam reminded us to use the happy room--what is that? He said that he noticed that when you go to the toilet, you are happy when you come out. He said we could use the natural happy room behind any palm tree if necessary.

We got onto a small boat to take us to our ship--the harbour was very gray but we could see the karsts in the mist. As we had our delicious fresh seafood lunch of many courses, the islands appeared all around us. It was so magical. Our first activity was sea kayaking. We landed at a colourful fishing village and hopped onto the floating docks to get our equipment. In nets beside us were live prawns, crabs and small sharks. We paddled in and amongst the dozen other ships and fishing boats towards the islands--we got to go through a small cave. Just what I had wanted to do since kayaking in southern Thailand on a "James Bond" tour. Sometimes my strong and handsome Ed paddled while my hands drifted along the warmest ocean water we had encountered so far.

Then we were off to another island to hike and swim. Our knees ached and we had to take many breaks, but we made it to the top. The views were breathtaking. But we were ready for a swim. The white sandy beach was so soft and the ocean water so refreshing.

We so hungry for dinner after all our exercise and were delighted with another sumptuous feast. On the top deck we had evening drinks and watched the twinkling lights of the other ships and stars above us. Even though there were so many others around us, there was a peaceful calm everywhere. Some fishing boats were out for their night catch and Tam reminded us that squid fishing was available although not likely because it was not the right season and so many had been caught already. Well off we went and within minutes Ed had a wiggling eerie white and pink blob on his hook. The girls and I all screamed with joy and enthusiasm. We headed for our cabin early to be up for the 6:15 Tai Chi lesson. And we did it!! It was a great way to stretch.

After breakfast we sailed to a famous cave (Sung Sot) which is also commonly known as the Amazing Cave. And it truly was--French explorers had discovered it in 1904 and fishermen had lived in it for 50 years. But now it was a national heritage site. It was like something from an Indiana Jones movie. So huge with these magnificent limestone formations.

The chefs said we had to contribute to lunch so we learned how to make fried spring rolls--you take rice paper and roll a mixture of pork, raw egg, carrots, ginger, spices and cabbage. They were the best we had eaten so far. But we love the fresh -not fried- spring rolls as well with the fresh cilantro and green onion flavour.

Our tour was great and I would heartily recommend this trip to anyone.


A Few of my Favourite Things

2012-10-13

Hello all. Here we are settled in our gorgeous Sunshine Hotel in Hoi An for 6 days. We have unpacked and made it our home away from home. I've noticed that I have appreciated all the little things I have packed into my backpack that friends and family have given me:

1. Photos. Thank goodness for my small white photo album--I have shown it to our family in Bali, to hotel staff and fellow travellers. I have many photos of the grandchildren, of Katherine and Jason, of my mom and the entire beloved Neufeld family, a wedding photo of all the B.C. friends who travelled so far for our special day, sister Lucille and brother-in-law Don, our home and yard, of Manitoba, of Neufeld Garage and of Canada. A picture is worth a thousand words. Especially when trying to explain something in Indonesian, Vietnamese, etc.

2. A silver token with "love much" and a heart on it from Kerry and Sonia. What a treasure.

3. A white cotton handkerchief that belonged to my dad. So practical and full of memories.

4. A small purse from my daughter-in-law Katherine. The perfect size for travelling.

5. A luggage tag in the shape of a high-heeled shoe with a rhinestone on it from Elaine. It makes me smile every time. Brings out the girl in me. Also we have so appreciated and used the travel toilet paper and the laundry detergent from Elaine.

6. My watch with 2 time zones so I always know what time it is in Canada. A Christmas gift from my mom.

7. Towelette wipes from sister-in-law Lucille. So necessary and thoughtful. Also a great Canada maple leaf luggage tag from her. We are so proud of our Canadian heritage and have 7 tags with Canada on them, Maple Leaf playing cards, Canada pins, Canada purse-sized calendar, Canada pens, a Steinbach Mennonite Heritage Museum notebook, Canada notebooks and a city of Victoria pen.

8. My iPod touch which has proved invaluable (from my sister Bev and family). So easy to use and iCloud photos for the getjealous website. Love all the music i have downloaded on it. Bev you were so right. Great for I-messaging too (thanks Garion for being there for me). I carry it in my purse to also check on mail while in restaurants with wifi.

9. A lovely stretchy knit shrug (shoulder-arm coverup) from Geri. I have used it to feel dressed up for going out!

10. The wild red-soled Saucony runners that Laura suggested. Super light. You can imagine how hip (not) Ed and I look in our matching pairs.

11. The iPad with hardcase keyboard that we bought because Richard got Ed hooked on it. It is soooooo fantastic. Thank you Richard and Sylvia for all your help in teaching us what it all can do.

12. Ed wants to mention that HE is the BEST THING I have taken along from home. I have to agree.

Love to you all


The trials and tribulations of Trains!

2012-10-14

Behind in diary entries as usual. On the 8th when we returned from our Ha Long Bay trip, exhausted, the Romance Hotel handed us a letter explaining that the Vietnamese Government Department of Power was shutting off the electricity to the area at 7:30 the next morning and the hotel would be running its generator until 8:30. That meant we would have to get up extra early to make sure we had our free breakfast and, of course, we couldn't let that happen. So that night we searched for another, cheaper hotel to stay in until out train left at 11 that night. To be continued after we pick up some clothes Esther has had made for her- that's one of Hoi An's main attractions.


I said to be continued...I just didn't say how long!

2012-10-14

Lost my train entry so will try again. We think the room we got from 9:00 a.m. to 10:p.m. might have been the one we stayed at with Paul and Geri in 2003 after we found our first hotel was not as nice as we remembered it from 2000 (I'll check with Geri). We took a cab to the train and were very quickly were allowed to board. The last time we were on this train we took the "soft seats" (coach- where you sit up for the entire 15 hour trip. Now we were in luxury - air-con, soft berths- a small compartment with and upper and lower bunks that stayed up for the entire trip. Esther and I paid the extra cost (50 cents!) to get both lower bunks. It was nearly time for the train pull out and we thought we just might have the place to ourselves when 2 Vietnamese gentlemen showed up for the top bunks. There are no curtains or anything to make the bunks private so we changed under our covers, nestled in our recently purchased silk sleeping bags to thwart any bedbugs we had heard might be present (sleeping pouches really).

We became accustomed to the swaying and rocking, the jolting and jerking as the cars slowed and speeded up and occasionally pulled to a siding to allow the north bound trains to pass. At midnight we settled into an uneasy sleep, waking every hour, remembering where we were and falling back to sleep. 9 years ago on this run we were woken up by very loud military music at 6 a.m. and were provided a interesting breakfast. This time we were told by the ticket agent that there was a dining car on the train and we weren't allowed to bring our own food (at least that's what we understood her to say). We packed goodies anyway.

The next morning, disappointed after not hearing any marching music, I went looking for the dining car. I passed through varying grades of compartments like ours and finally arrived at the cars holding the soft seats and was blocked by a men pulling a cart up the aisle selling a breakfast meal of chicken, rice and steamed greens. I think there was only one more car to go but assumed that was a second coach so headed "home". I eventually jumped off the train at a quick stop and bought a similar kind of "breakfast" for us.

We were now able to sit and watch the rural Vietnamese world fly by. We were enthralled by the thick jungles, then groves of palms and banana trees, interspersed with rice paddies already being plowed by lone farmers using water buffalo or an ox (and this was at 7 in the morning- I was surprised to even be up). I think farmers must be the hardest working people there are.

Later, south of Hue, we started to move through the mountains. We entered a stretch where tunnels were numerous. We started instantly fleeting from bright sunshine to total darkness. At the first one I was startled to be gripped by a shaking hand with super-human strength. The grip was released as soon as the light from the end of the tunnel started to creep back into our room. I assumed it was Esther because the 2 Vietnamese men seemed unconcerned.

Finally after 15 hours we were in Da Nang.


Hanging around Hoi An

2012-10-15

We've been enjoying our plush hotel with its comfy beds, balcony, buffet breakfast and great pool. I am up to 24 laps. The housekeeping staff are so sweet and have surprised us with art made out the towels--just like on our honeymoon on the cruise ship.

Ed has been feeling under the weather--a terrible fever and chills 2 days ago (it was scary how hard he shook----I wrapped myself around him and then an hour later how hot he got--had cold compresses and the air-con up high)and now he has Montezuma's revenge--I have been having diarrhea off and on since we first started travelling. I just take it as a part of the traveller's life--no matter how careful I am (brushing my teeth with bottled water, eating only boiled food, not eating street food, sometimes only eating Western food for days, no salads because they are usually cleaned with tap water) it happens. We take our daily probiotic pill and have taken our "stop the diarrhea" pills once each.

We have loved the free bikes that the hotel offered us. We have been zooming around the neighbourhoods and loving the quiet old town quarter where no cars/motorbikes are allowed--so peaceful with only cyclists and walkers.

The electricity went off again for the day yesterday in the entire city so we rented a motorbike and off we went looking for ATM's and power so we could have lunch in a cafe. We flitted here and there--admiring the lush countryside, the meandering rivers with round fishing weirs, the water buffalo, the huge hotel developments and ended up going for a real trek to Danang--40 minutes away. The new road is great and there is little traffic because it is 4 lanes which you don't see very often. Most motorbikes are only going 50-60 km so it is less crazy. We ended up Ina fantastic beachside cafe on the famous China Beach. Ed tells me this is where the G.I's used to hang out for RandR--they were flown in from the battlefields. The beaches have white talcum powdered sand and wild crashing waves.

On the way back we noticed an odd sound coming from the tires and lo and behold, we had a flat. A fellow motorbiker saw our bad luck and pointed to the small stand by the side of the road. We were right in front of a tire repair station.

The mechanic took out our tire tube and discovered the 2 holes and quickly repaired it with what looked like rubber bandages--all for the cheap price of $2.75. We were so grateful and were very tired by the time we got back to our hotel.

Hoi An has changed since we were here 9 years ago. So much construction and development. But still the old town which has been declared a World Heritage Site is magical during the day and night. Hoi An is known for its art--paintings and lanterns--silk and tailors. Ed had a tuxedo made and I had a silk robe.

Time for lunch. Had 2 good dinners at our favourite "Mermaid" restaurant. Translucent pork and shrimp dumplings called "white rose" and curry chicken cooked in a fiery hot clay pot. I wanted to lick the broth in the pot but it was too hot to handle.


Time for the beach

2012-10-19

The travelling part of travelling is always an adventure. We paid extra money for the best sleeping bus for our 12 hour ride to Nha Trang. But all the buses looked alike. We were the first ones on and had assigned bunks. Boy were they narrow. Ed took the window one and I had the middle one with nothing on either side ( I thought it would be better to ward off any claustrophobia feelings). We got blankets and had a hard foam velcro pillow. We had brought our own pillowcases and back pillows to ease the discomfort. But to jam your feet into the metal coffin was tough and the seatbuckles/straps dug into your hips.

We had little space for our backpacks until a lady changed bunks and we got an empty one beside me (over the toilet). Yes, the smell of the toilet beside me was poopy at times. I smiled as I remembered what Geri had said about trains-don't get the compartments by the toilets--too noisy and smelly. Well here we were. More fun when the doorknob jammed and the bus assistant had to take a crowbar to get the door open, broke off the knob and tied a string to it. I was okay with it--you just had to balance holding your pants and the string. But the driver didn't like it and pulled over for 20 minutes to fix the doorknob.

We were halfway to the back of the bus and could see the road ahead. Sometimes it felt like we were on a rollercoaster ride. Sometimes the bus had to inch its way across an ancient bridge or through pot holes that could swallow a dog. Suddenly the lights went out and we were in the dark. Time for sleeping. Ed got some sleep but I tossed and turned all night. We got to see the sunrise and it was gorgeous over the bays. We saw people playing badminton at 5:30 a.m. We saw people doing Tai Chi, jogging, volleyball and swimming at 6 a.m. We were finally in Nha Trang.

We had breakfast and were on our next bus for 5 hours. I had had two pots of tea because I thought there would be a toilet on the bus. Noooooooooooo. It was a very clean bus but no facilities. I was so tired I fell asleep on Ed's shoulder and snorted myself awake when the bus stopped suddenly. What is it I said? Ed said, toilet time. But where? All I saw was a gravel piles and a few trees. The Americans who had asked for a toilet stop were aghast and did not get off. We did finally stop after 2 1/2 hours at a cafe with a real toilet.

The landscape changed dramatically and sanddunes were all around. We were nearing our destination of Mui Ne (pronounced Mooooo Nay). We got dropped off and knew we were in for a long hike up a hill to our hotel. But we made it and after a few adjustments, found the perfect room for us.

Time for a bike ride. Did my 44 laps today. Might do a few more.....


Mui Ne was a great French artist but...

2012-10-20

We arrived at the entrance to our hotel Mui Ne Hills 2 (yes, there is a 1 , across the walk and up a little higher) and pulled our suitcases up the narrow, rough concrete walkway 200 meters up a steep incline and we were home. They had kindly upgraded us to a very large room on the second floor of a U-shaped building that surrounded a small pool. It had all the amenities...except air-con (only fan) but they explained that it had very high walls covered by a thatched roof with many windows, and that a cool breeze would blow in the evening and we might find it too cold. (Sounded good to me but Esther does like it cool to sleep). Well it was too hot for Esther in the afternoon, the wifi was going on and off, the tv was not coming in well, and you could hear so much noise from the homes (we are so spoiled). Anyway, all of a sudden, the t.v. and fridge went out. We couldn't discover the problem so we called reception. The assistant manager and night watch came and couldn't figure it out either. We really like a fridge for our pills so Esther said the smaller, air -con room in front of the pool was fine with her, so we started to pack and they discovered the problem. The circuit breaker for our room was in one place but the circuit breaker for 2 plugs in our room were in Room 30....go figure that? We moved to a lovely room and have been so happy.

Every morning we go have a lovely European breakfast on the patio beside the pool of Miu Ne 2. We have then either walked or bicycled along the one road that traverses the 15 km beach, that starts at the east end with many high end resorts all the way to the other end- the small fishing village of Mui Ne or walked the beach, then swam in the pool- it has felt more like a vacation! This area has become so popular with the Russians. Stores and restaurants all have signs in the Russian language. They even call this area "Little Russia."

Tomorrow we are renting a motorbike and heading to the fishing village and then to the famous red and white sand dunes (might be our only chance to see a sea of sand (albeit without the pyramids) this trip.

Today on our bike "stroll" we discovered a whole kilometre of plastic chairs and tables, right on the beach, that are fresh seafood restaurants, all in sight of the little fishing village...can't wait to try it out! Esther saw huge prawns, squid bigger than the one I caught, alligator meat (very popular for the Russian), frogs, barracuda, clams and enormous crabs. Yum, yum.


Dune't be surprised where we went!

2012-10-21

Mui Ne didn't disappoint again. Another gorgeous sunny day. Mui Ne is said to be the sunniest place in Vietnam (like Manitoba) , and we can't prove them wrong.

We set out this morning to see the famous red sand dunes and also the white. We found the red after a half hour motor-bike ride and then drove on to find the white. We saw many dunes: they rush right down to the sea in many places but no obvious place to park the bike and walk them. We loved the drive anyway as the highway had us sandwiched between multi-coloured dunes and the blue-green ocean for much of the trip.

We stopped on the way back at the red dunes and started to walk up them when a small squad of young school boys swooped out from a grove of palm trees and wanted to rent us their blue plastic "carpets" so we could slide back down. We wanted to keep our sun burned skin intact so we declined but they continued to hover around Esther. One little smartie said they would take money to go away...we also declined.

We found a great Mexican restaurant (I know, I know) for lunch and then came back to do our laps in the pool and a little exercise regime and now are resting up for supper. I agree,life is hard!


Good bye to Mui Ne and our little family

2012-10-26

On the way up the hill to our hotel in Mui Ne we would stop at a little shop for water, pop and beer. They even had a laundry service and so we had a bag done (1.50 a kilogram). The family was so warm and welcoming that we soon became friendly acquaintances. Every time we would cycle or motorbike or walk by they were their for a warm hello or goodbye. One time the grandma motioned to me that she wanted me to look at her hand where she had written down some numbers. She pointed to herself and then pointed to the numbers--I got it--that it is how old she is-but she really wanted to know my age---so I wrote down my 49. Well, life sure is hard in Vietnam for she looked 10-15 years older than me but she actually was 1 year younger. Still she was such a cheerful Oma who would sing to her grandsons while they lay on her lap while on the hammock--often she would use her other leg to swing the hammock back and forth and she had such love in her eyes. The mother was so proud of her two boys and we tried to entertain them with our few words of Vietnamese. On the last day we stopped by to take a photo and they were overjoyed at seeing themselves. The youngest boy was naked as a jaybird but in great spirits. His older brother loves to tease him and pinch him and wanted to be in all the pictures with his brother.

We got on the day bus to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). We were the last ones on and so got the last seats upfront beside the driver. Gosh, what a ride. It was boiling hot at first and Ed and I stuck together like sticky glue. Then the fun began as our driver passed cars, trucks, vans, motorcycles and even water buffalo carts. Lines on the highway are just a mere suggestion that there could be traffic rules. I held my breath and sometimes even looked away because of the wild and scary moves the bus was taking.

We got pulled over at a military looking stop--the driver had to put bribe money into a special envelope to get us on our way. The sun started to set and the traffic ground to a crawl as we entered the outskirts of Ho Chi Minh City. We were very glad to finally get to our bus station only 45 minutes late. We wanted a taxi to take us to our hotel but he stopped outside of a dark alley and he pointed. We nervously started walking down it and suddenly said "What are you looking for? " "Saigon Zoom Hotel" "Ya, ya, go go left." There it was. We were home.


Ho Chi Minh City

2012-10-27 to 2012-10-28

Our Saigon Zoom Hotel turned out to be just fine for $22. Except for the intermittent wifi. We connected and were disconnected from my sister Bev and my daughter-in-law Katherine many times. Please do not give up on us--we love to hear from you all through Skype, emails and getjealous messages. Sorry that getjealous stopped sending you the alerts--even we had to sign up again.

The main thing we saw in HCMC was the presidential palace now called the reunification palace (an attempt to unify North and South Vietnam). I had a bit of a tummy bug and so we did not get to my favouorite museum--the war remnants museum. We did have a great time going through one small market around the corner from us where we saw many frogs tied up to each other--alive, waiting to be bought and eaten. A butcher woman was at the end of our alley and she vigorously scraped the pigs legs until they shone--even cleaning between the cloven hooves.

Off to Bangkok. More to come tomorrow.


Bangkok to Bonkers

2012-11-02 to 2012-11-05

Have had only some wifi so will update you all in 2 days. Off to southern Thailand and the beaches of Phuket/Karon Beach.

Here we are at the Little Mermaid Hotel right off of Karon Beach, 45 minutes from Phuket Town. We had a good ride on the sleeper train down here. We did not have our own compartment in 1st class but opted for 2nd class where we had curtained bunks--Ed had the top bunk because I still have a touch of claustrophobia. The bunks are narrower than the Vietnam ones but the Thai bedding was so fresh and crisp.

The train attendant let us stay up as late as possible--so at 10:00 pm our table was taken away and our seats were made into our beds. We had had a good time of 2 1/2 hours eating delicious Kentucky Fried Chicken (we brought it on), playing cards (I kept winning everything) and then Scrabble (Ed keeps crushing me).

We did notice that the Thai trains seem to shake sideways more than the Vietnamese ones which seemed to jerk back and forth lengthwise. But we slept much better. Ed had bought a chain/lock to tie the luggage solidly to the metal luggage racks you saw on the train photo so we felt very secure about that. At around 6 am we heard people stirring and we had breakfast at 7am. We had thought we were getting a normal fried egg breakfast but we got a cold plate of ham/cheese on white bread with cold French fries and apple slices. Oh well. We would appreciate it later.

We were worried that we would not have anyone to meet us from the bus company at the train station, but as soon as we got off, there was a tour organizer. Hurray! Last time we were told to sit at a cafe and we missed our bus and had to get a mini-van to take us. So we lined up and saw the other passengers fill up the bus in front of us. We found out that there were only 4 of us going to Phuket (did that mean that Phuket would be having rainy weather?? And everyone was avoiding it?). So the tour organizer pointed to an open truck called a tuk tuk taxi and said get on. So this is how we met Marko and Mija from Slovenia. We had a fun ride and still thought everything was going to turn out fine. Well, we passed our bus and ended going down a very bumpy rural road to an old bus station. We were dropped off and told to wait again. Well, there was our bus chugging down to the same station. So now what?? Well, we knew the bus was full, so we got back onto the tuk tuk and headed back to the town of Suri Thani. We got dropped off at a cafe and the smiling waiter said "You wait. Bus gone. New bus one o'clock."

WHAT? We had been up since 6 am and at the station before the 8:00 bus, and our new friends had taken an earlier train and had been waiting since 5:30 a.m. at the train station. It was now 9:15 and we were to wait for almost 4 hours? NO WAY. So after some discussion Ed suggested to the boy that he phone his boss from the tour company and we would talk to him...the boy had no control over the situation. The female cafe manager knew we were very upset and knew we were not going to be pleasant customers so she got someone on the phone. Mija tried to talk to her but couldn't understand her so she gave the phone to me. I managed to make her understand that we needed a mini-van now and we were not going to wait.

So the smiling waiter said you give us money we take you to the bus station and you go. He had us. We were stuck. We felt cheated and ended up paying a few dollars to get to our mini-van. We got it. It was packed but we were finally on our way. But Ed plans to talk to our travel agent about this company (we bought the same tickets in Bangkok for our trip back to Phuket in December with Paul and Geri) and get our money back and give them a poor review on Tripadvisor. Yes, the reviews are the new way for travellers to see where to go and hotels/restaurants are especially aware that the Internet makes or breaks their business.

We arrived at our beach oasis tired but optimistic about enjoying the next few days.


Can't see the light for the dark...

2012-11-06

We have spent the first 4 days here walking and exploring the area, walking the beach and playing in the ocean. And of course, tanning. Today, though, we woke up to find the power had been turned off to work on the lines in front of the hotel and up the street. No warning from the hotel but they said it would be back on at 5 and at 8 minutes after 5 it came on. We were thrilled. Except...40 minutes later it went off again. It was dark by then so we had to leave our dark little hotel room and with our tiny flashlight made our way along the mostly black beach road. Luckily we soon found a expensive resort that had generators running and sat and had a lovely glass of wine (see the picture).

We finally headed back to our hotel hoping for the best. The restaurant in our hotel was still cooking with propane so we sat down to a romantic candlelight dinner (and only candles- apparently our hotel is not an expensive resort). Finally at 8:15 the lights popped back on to much cheering and applause (I kind of liked the ambiance but Esther wanted WiFi!)


Putt-putting around Phuket

2012-11-07 to 2012-11-09

Ed and I wanted to see the gorgeous countryside around this island and so we rented a motorbike again. From the (squeakier than New Bothwell cheese) sandy beaches we climbed up, up, up to the glorious mountaintops. But of course, along the way, we saw elephants! Elephant camps had sprung up everywhere. We may see these elephant camps when Vic and Terry come in February.

The oceanviews were spectacular and so were the monuments at the seaview points. Then of course we went down, down, down into the city where we were trying to find our way to the Big Buddha on top of another mountain. We found a small path and crept our way up to the top, passing a baby elephant along the way. Ed wanted to stop just for me to have a cuddle but I looked at the approaching rain clouds and said "later alligator." Well, the climb and the vista were worth it. We hope Vic will also rent a motorbike to take in all these adventures.

We were so interested to see what changes had all happened in the central part of the island, that we headed off again on motorbike (after several days of soothing our backs ---how do motorcyclists handle the pain in their backs after hours on the bike???Even my head hurt from the weight of the helmet).

Patong, the party area on the next beach 15 minutes away, had grown into a valley of concrete, McDonald's, and shopping centres. We had to pass so many cement mixers and dump trucks along the narrow twisting highway (usually on the paved shoulders) that I closed my eyes sometimes...luckily Ed didn't. Patong, after suffering much damage in the tsunami of 2004, is rebuilding at a furious rate. We didn't recognize the place--- it had been a one beach road (as we remembered it) and now was a maze of one way streets. It took us awhile to even find the beach.

Past Patong we discovered many secluded coves and jungle hideaways. We wanted to circle back and so headed east and then south back through part of the city. My seat was sore by the time we finally got back to our little hotel. The hot shower was wonderful as was the delicious Thai dinner at our newest favourite restaurant, The Red Onion. I love the curries---give me red, green and panaeng (peanut) please. So good,you know,I could lick the plates.


From sand in your trunks to elephant trunks

2012-11-15

On our last day in Phuket (for a while) the power went out again in our hotel and for the whole Karon and Kata Beach areas from morning until 5 p.m.. Esther was too burnt to go to the beach and she refused to play Scrabble (for the 17th time--Ed is hooked) so we spent the 30 baht ($1) and took the bus to Phuket Town.

You simply flag the bus down and enter from the rear. You pay when you get off. They drop you off at the last stop on one stretch of road in the down town area. When you are ready, you simply return there and catch the next one (they leave every half hour). We expected to find a nice cool place in the big city for a snack and a cold drink because of course THEY would have power. But, you guessed it, they were all without power too. By the time we got back though, we were happy to see our Little Mermaid was all aglow.

The next morning we flew to Chiang Mai and got settled into our new place- the Sri Pat Guest House. Since our last time here it has expanded and added a cute little pool.

We have already booked a trip to an elephant camp where we will spend the day with our own elephant.
Esther, who loves her spicy Thai food, met her match. She had a bowl of Tom Yum Gung (hot and sour soup with prawns). Please check out the accompanying photo and see if you can tell which was redder, the soup or Esther's face. She coughed and coughed from the spices. She could barely eat 1/6 of the soup and had 2 bowls of rice with it to cool it off. She ended up having two bottles of ice-water, an ice-cream bar and then later, a milk shake. She had more milk products in a few hours than she has had in a month.

Chiang Mai has such an interesting "city within a city". The original city was surrounded by a wall and a moat. It is now called the old city and makes for an interesting walk. A few parts remain although they were reconstructed in the 1800's.

We are off to rent a motorbike tomorrow and check out more of the wonderful streets of this ancient city.


Esther's Afraid of Tiny Dogs...But Elephants...

2012-11-17

We were picked up at our hotel at 8:30 and travelled an hour and a half to spend the day with our own personal elephant. This small group of elephants had worked in the forests in the logging industry until the government had forbidden their use. Like many others, this owner transferred over to tourism but instead of putting on a show like many others do, he went for a personal approach, having the tourists interact with one elephant for the day.

We stopped at a market on the way to pick up bananas and sugar cane as treats for the elephants...we did eat one on the way there but didn't feel badly when we saw just how much one of those pachyderms packs away in a day!

When we got there we first changed into our Mahout's outfits (as you can see they were very becoming although I am not used to wearing a plunging neckline...in the back). Esther looked great in hers though.

To acclimatize us to working with elephants, they had us feed many, many bunches of bananas to a mother and her 5 month old baby...although the baby was mainly still on a milk diet. The baby was hilarious. As soon as they removed a board from the gate, the baby made a b-line to it to escape. Trying to stop a 300 pound tot from getting her own way was not an easy task.

Then we got to go to a field and practice the 4 commands: Bai- giddy-up; Toi- back up; Quay- turn and How- stop on any handy elephant. They didn't mind because we were constantly feeding them chunks of sugar cane. I went first and it is quite something to even get on an elephant. Ours went all the way down to the ground and we grabbed an ear and pulled...We were to sit on the neck and put your hands down on the head. It felt like you were going to fall forward. Esther shook with fear but finally was the last one to try it. And she did it like a pro. Feeding the elephant was fun because the trunk whips back like a snake and you put the banana or sugar cane into the fold of its trunk.

We had a simple but delicious lunch and then we were off for the 1 hour trek through the hills and to the river.

Esther was a little nervous so we opted to go for one elephant for the two of us. I was sitting behind her ears (the elephant's I mean) and Esther had the rock hard seat, right on the ridge of the elephant's back (she was using an ice-pack the next morning on the same sore seat).

Then we were off, heading up a narrow jungle trail, steering with the commands and the pressure of your knees behind the elephant's ears. Many of the larger elephants kept stopping to move a little off the trail tearing a few delicious branches off the nearest tree. Our female was very kind to us and headed where she was steered.

We made a slow steep circuit arriving at a viewpoint where we overlooked the breathtaking valley spread out beneath us.

Down, I think was the hardest. My wrists were going numb trying to stay in place on her massive neck. It was amazing how delicately and slowly she placed each foot on the steep muddy trail. Once we back on the valley floor, we headed straight to the best part of the whole trip- the river and bath time. Now I knew why we were in these clothes...we were going to be the ones getting the cleaning! The elephants were made to sit in the river and we were given a bucket and brush. We scrubbed and rinsed, scrubbed and rinsed...that's a lot of skin! Between the elephants filling their trunks and spraying us, and the handlers and one lone kid from the village who tagged along for the fun, attacking us from behind with the buckets, we were quickly soaked but loving it.

Some of the younger "customers" were having a ball jumping off the back of the largest elephant, while we were content to give our kind, gentle new friend a real good scrubbing. We wended our way back to the camp and said goodbye to our "ride" with another bunch of sugar cane.

We felt that these elephants in this camp were well treated and cared for and that this was a better and kinder life than they had endured in the past. At the end of it, I admired Esther even more for facing her fears head on. Maybe the next dog she sees won't be so scary anymore.


Fwd: 3 Photos

2012-11-17

Begin forwarded message:

> From: Sittichote Tanaseth

> Date: 17 November, 2012 3:20:29 PM GMT+07:00

> To: edestherclifford@gmail.com

> Subject: 3 Photos

>


Believe it we're in Burma

2012-11-25

Hello everyone. If you don't hear from us it is because of the scarcity of wifi. Paul and Geri are here and it is hot and humid (32). We are going to the famous pagoda this afternoon. We can see several pagodas from our rooftop breakfast room. Esther is dripping with sweat and mopping her brow all the time. Had good food yesterday-chicken in a spicy sauce, fish with sweet onions, eggplant and spinach greens stir fry and rice.


The golden Shwedagon Pagoda

2012-11-26

We saw the famous pagoda before sunset and it was amazing to see the change in the sky and colours. You take off your shoes (we carried ours in Ed's pack) and start walking up the long, long, long staircase entrance. But is so worth it to see the real gold covered stupas (seems like hundreds of them in different sizes). There were so many Burmese bowing, praying, putting holy water onto the shrine, lighting candles and lamps, singing, meditating and celebrating family and life.

We are walking a lot around our neighbourhood and are seeing the everyday Burmese life--we are on a street that sells paint and hardware so it is interesting to see all the tools/nails/screws laid out on blankets/tables.

We have found a bank to change money and it was so lovely to go inside for the air conditioning--I joked with the tellers by shivering in the cold and they laughed so hard. We have gone to two fancy hotels for the faster wifi and it was interesting to see the pockets of all wealth in this city that has been frozen in time for 40 years. Since the military has allowed more freedom and free enterprise you see construction projects everywhere. Everyone is trying practice their English and I am trying to learn a few words of Burmese--Ming gla ba means hello. The people are so lovely and their eyes sparkle when you speak to them. Some gawk at my blonde hair/white skin and one pointed that she liked my red lipstick.

Ed says hello. He feels well and we are all getting lots of exercise walking the 100 steps in our hotel to our room and breakfast room.


The Road to Mandalay is more than a Hope-Crosby road movie

2012-11-28

We are leaving today for Mandalay by night bus.

We stayed in the White House Guesthouse ( no, Obama never stayed there). Our first room had a 7 foot ceiling and twin beds surrounded by walls of mortared stones. The 9 story hotel steps seemed to go on forever.

I wanted to share with you our bathroom (see accompanying pictures). It had the same stone walls as the rest of the hotel, including the stairs. The pipes are all on the outside of the wall and there were more shower heads that were blocked off. The intake pipe had the ends of 2 litre plastic bottle covering the valves so you couldn't shut them off by mistake. You can see the drain pipe from the sink (which, by the way, leaked on to your feet as you stood there using it) as it circled the toilet then emptied into a drain hole on the floor. In one photo you can see the electrical cord and the bathroom light, which are very close to the shower head! Note: for safety reasons they have also placed the ends of 2 litres plastic bottles over the electrical connection

We did like, though, to sit in the overflow breakfast room on the 8th floor at night and talk to the many fellow travellers (mainly young backpackers) and share experiences and offer suggestions for things to see and do, and offer accommodation possibilities in the next destination.


Pyin Oo Lwin--Northern Burma--an escape from the heat

2012-11-30

Hello everyone. We had a wild ride in the Yangon taxi to get through the full moon festivities--a natiional holiday. We have had the greatest luck in leaving or arriving in places where action is happening of some kind--from protests to holiday celebrations. But it makes for great non-boring memories.

Some streets were jam packed with Burmese families wanting to go to the pagodas, street festivals, and community fair areas. We got stuck in traffic several times and our taxi driver simply veered into the opposing lane and plowed his way through. But we made it in good time to the mud soaked, garbage infested, sewer smelling bus station. But there was our deluxe VIP bus. It was so clean, spacious and comfortable--complete with neck rest, blanket, toothbrush/toothpaste, bottled water, and then a hot/cold drink trolley, Hurray! Of course the air conditioning was on high and the Burmese soap opera movie blared for hours to keep us awake until the midnight bathroom break. Then we all got 3-4 hours sleep.

We arrived at 5:30 a.m. at the Mandalay bus station. A man asked us if we needed a taxi and we said yes--well our taxi was an mini open pickup truck with no seats--yikes! Geri, Ed and I crawled into the back with our squished luggage with Paul in the cab. It was hilarious! Bumpty-bump bump--with the sun rising it was a bit surreal. We got to the next transport area to catch a taxi to the northern hill town of Pyin Oo Lwin. We got a mini-station wagon and a smiling driver who surprised with all the stops at various milk cafes to pick up empty plastic tubs and jugs---what!! He piled in more and more until the roof rack was like a mountain of plastic and our bags were shoved up to our necks. Ed sat in the front and gripped the dashboard for his life as we zigzagged our way up the mountains to the plateau. Ed had to pay extra for this treat. We in the back fell into a coma in the back and snored away.

We had arrived at Hotel Aster. It turned out to be a wonderful, deluxe motel-like oasis.


Pyin Oo Lwin, dont you?

2012-11-30 to 2012-12-02

Each day we get the free shuttle to downtown Pyin Oo Lyin (70,000 people with surrounding farm areas) and are dropped in front of the British watch tower. We have toured the local, very large market (we all had to buy umbrellas there except for Esther who her handy dandy travel one) and have ridden in a medium size cart pulled by a very small horse (felt like the Old West) and then walked and walked around this small town on a plateau in the mountains. It is so much cooler here. It was the Summer Capital when Burma was ruled by the British because of that.

We discovered a restaurant that served Western and Thai food and because the Gordon Blue (as noted in the menu) was so good, we have come back 3 days in a row.

Yesterday we visited a 464 acre garden park called the National Kandawgyi Gardens. Our favourite activities included, of course enjoying the many plants and trees, including an orchard of many types of tropical fruits, a bambooreum

(an orchard of bamboo), a walk-in aviary, black swans, a group of children singing Burmese songs (until Esther clapped for them and hammed it up and they broke into London Bridge in English) and two species of monkeys- Howlers and a black species which we didn't know the name of but Esther took a picture of it and a video-I hope you can see the video just to hear Esther's yelp when the monkey jumped out of his tree and ran across the road)

And then we went to our favourite restaurant.

Today Esther and I rented a motorbike and just toured around the countryside enjoying the coffee farms, huge British mansions, 1940's homemade trucks which puff out black smoke, mini pickup trucks filled to the brim with passengers/cargo and mothers cycling with their babies in tiny seats. We then went back to the hotel, picked up Paul and Geri and, you guessed it, went to our favourite restaurant.

Tomorrow we are off to the big city of Mandalay for 2 nights and then on to Bagan, the plain of over 300 temples. We hope the WiFi will be better there so we can contact everyone more quickly and more often.


Happy 2013 to all our family and friends

2012-12-02

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You say Bagan, I say Pagan...

2012-12-08

We left our little oasis of Pyin Oo Lwin and headed to the big central city of Mandalay, only an hour away by shared taxi (which, by the way, cost 1000 kyat ($1.25) to sit in the front seat (where to get to see your life pass before your eyes as we pass other buses and trucks on 1 lane roads). One of the workers at the Aster Hotel recommended his uncle's hotel in Mandalay, swearing it was the same as our Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, and at the same price...and it wasn't. We endured sewer stink, cold water from the supposed hot shower, cigarette smoke pouring under our door, pigeons smashing against our window ledge...

Oh well, we had some great meals (Chinese food and Western food), saw an interesting puppet show (Esther gave it a kind B, Ed thought more of a C) and even bought some puppets (Ed fell in love with the stern General and his sword while Esther loved the small horse because of the movie,book, theatre show of War Horse). We saw gold being pounded into sheets for covering the temple stupas and made into jewelry. We saw the moat and palace and headed off to the longest teak bridge in the world. It was truly beautiful as sunset.

A few highlights included going to exchange money at a local bank and finding millions of Kyat piled on the floor for counting. Ed had to walk around the pile to sit in a chair to change American dollars to Kyat. Geri got a great picture of the pile before we left.

Then we headed down the road to the train station to see the costs and times to take the train to Bagan. We ended up buying bus tickets there instead. As we were leaving we were surprised to see over two dozen men sitting in 3 rows. They were surrounded by armed guards. They were waiting to be taken away in trucks. Political prisoners or criminals, we didn't know, but it was an unsettling experience.

Now we are in Bagan, (was also spelled Pagan in earlier times) the field of temples. We are at a great hotel and have seen the temples by foot, bicycle and car. We have climbed to the top of several temples and even to the top of a mountain (777 steps). It is like being in Angkor Wat (Cambodia) where the temples are an integral part of the surrounding communities. The Burmese people herd their cattle and goats through the acres of land, orchards, and crops. Their schools and shops and houses are in between brown brick domes and pyramid looking structures.

There were approximately 40 square miles of about 10 000 temples, pagodas, and monasteries in ancient times (mainly Buddhist and some Hindu) and now only about 2200 now. The government has tried to renovate many of them for the tourist trade, but has been accused of doing it in a haphazard way, not following the original designs and using modern materials. They have not been able to get official Unesco designation a a world heritage site like Angkor Wat.


Fwd: $$$$$photo- taken by Geri Richardson

2012-12-08

We went to exchange money in this bank branch and when we walked in, were surprised to see this huge stack of Kyat bank notes. They had it there to count. I had to walk around it to sit down at the money exchange counter. There were no armed guards around, just the young bank employees counting it and one unarmed guard who warmly greeted us and steered me around the treasure trove. They keep telling us how honest the Burmese are and now I believe it!


Maybe no wifi for several days

2012-12-09

Hi everyone. We are off on our last adventure in Burma/Myanmar. We are heading to Inle Lake tomorrow. We will be bussing it for many hours (6:30 am-3:30 pm??) and then be in a picturesque landscape of water, hills, riverboats and starry nights. We will spend 2 days in a hotel (Dec. 10,11) that is on stilts in the lake. I don't think we will get wifi there or in our next budget hotel (Dec. 12-16). We will be back in the huge city of Yangon in 1 week (Dec. 17)and will be getting wifi there. We leave Dec. 18 for Bangkok.

So hope you are all well and enjoying the Christmas season. We have even seen some decorations here. Saw a miniature tree being put up in a restaurant today--what must they think about the snow covered ornaments? Thinking of you all as you bake your cookies, hear the songs on the radio, see the snowflakes coming down (Manitoba), skate on your rinks, bundle up in the rain and cold. Giving you a cheery hug from the Cliffords.


On and Off Express to Inle Lake

2012-12-14

How many people can you cram into a bus or pick up truck?

We left Bagan in another little pickup truck (way smaller than Don and Lucille's) with a roof and floor. We started with we 4 and three others, plus all our baggage. We were on our way to the bus station in the next town. All of a sudden we were going in the wrong direction...we were going to pick up more passengers. Some baggage was piled on the roof and more passengers piled in. Needless to say, it was a very cozy and intimate ride the rest of the way. The trip was made more entertaining for a while as 5 hot air balloons seemed to be chasing us down the dusty, bumpy road.

Once on the bus, it seemed an ordinary trip. Mostly tourists, sitting in 2 seats on one side and one on the other ( much smaller, harder and more cramped than our VIP bus from Yangon to Mandalay ). We were off. All of a sudden we were loading more local passengers and their parcels. We hadn't noticed that there were fold down seats that would make a 4th seat all the way down the aisle. Unfortunately not all the locals were going to the same destination. When someone needed to get off, everyone in front of them had to fold up their seat and move out of the way. We found out that many of the riders were teachers and they were disembarking at their own small rural school. We now understood why this was going to be such a long trip for a relatively short distance! We wound our way through the mountains on narrow treacherous one lane roads. We could see down down down to the rivers and jungle below. Some locals did not travel well and black plastic bags were handed out for the puke and red spit from betelnut chewing tobacco. 

We finally got into Naungshwe, the village at the north end of Inle Lake (a straight long canal connected it to the lake). We caught a longtail boat to our hotel - Golden Island Cottages (GIC) 2 -which was on stilts out in the lake. They had no reservations in our names- the manager at our hotel in Bagan had made our reservations through the GIC head office in Yangon. Luckily they did have 2 rooms for us the first night but not the second. The next day we had to catch another boat taxi to take us to their sister hotel GIC 1, a much older, rundown version of #2 (but at this same price). It was an expensive 2 nights but the setting was priceless! ( MasterCard commercial?)


Fwd: Tomatoes

2012-12-14

Begin forwarded message:

> From: Paul Richardson

> Date: 17 December, 2012 8:23:34 PM GMT+06:30

> To: Ed & Esther CLIFFORD

> Subject: Tomatoes

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>

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> Sent from my iPad

>


Classes and Glasses!

2012-12-16

Esther had been exploring the area on a rented bicycle and made some discoveries that made for an interesting day. We got up early the next morning and biked into the country where she had found out about a rural orphanage. We were directed to a school beside it which housed the children from the orphanage plus students from the surrounding farming community. They were eating lunch so we arranged to return at 1 pm so that Esther could do a lesson involving songs and dance and games. We were greeted with Ming-gla-ba (hello) from each and every 120 students accompanied by vigorous handshakes. That took care of the first half hour. The head teacher invited us to the staff room and started us off with a lovely cup of tea. She then went and had some students move a portable wall separating classrooms in a long hut. Then she gathered all the students into the now doubled room.

Esther started her lesson with a song: Take one hand, put it in another, take one heart, give it to me, take one love, bring us all together, bring us all together as a family. She taught them the actions and the teacher wanted her to write the song on the metal blackboard. The chalk kept breaking and so I helped write it out. They repeated every letter as we wrote them down and then sounded out the words. They were eager to learn!

She knew that they knew their numbers, alphabet and a few phrases in English. She used this knowledge to teach the old and silly "Chicken Dance." She then went on to teach a medley. The next part was "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and when she was trying to explain what a spider was, the head teacher said the words "Spider-Man." All the kids grinned with understanding. Then came "Head and Shoulders." The kids kept creeping closer and closer to the front to be near Esther.

Esther tried to teach a drama game where the children had to close their eyes for 10 seconds. Well the kids just couldn't help peeking. So the game didn't quite work. Oh well, Esther went right into another dance, "The Bunny Hop." By the end, every student had been in the chain doing the stepping and hopping. It was a riot.

It was 2:15, the hottest part of the day and Esther was sweating buckets with all her moves. She ended her fun time with freeze dance and the kids roared with laughter when they had to freeze like a robot. We said our goodbyes over and over and shook all the children's hands. We tried to sneak away but the head teacher wanted to thank us with tea and a snack. She let the students have a recess and took us back to the staff room. She had boiled vegetables that looked like yams as our snack. She wanted to thank us again and invited us to her home the next day for dinner. She would not take no for an answer--another adventure for tomorrow.

We finished our day with a visit to a local winery. It is situated on a hillside and offers a panorama of Inle Lake, the little town of Nyaung Shwe and the surrounding rural countryside. We met up there with Paul and Geri and enjoyed sampling 4 of their wines (Esther was exhausted after her lesson- she had forgotten just how hard teaching can be.


The Magnificent Olferts again...dressed for the showing of "The Hobbit"...

2012-12-18

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Garion, Abigail, Jessie and mom Bev dress up for the premiere of The Hobbit//Garion graduated from H

2012-12-18

Begin forwarded message:

> From: "Bev Olfert"

> Date: 14 March, 2013 1:07:30 PM CDT

> To:

> Subject: LOR

>

> Here is the picture.


The Teacher Connection- no matter where you go!

2012-12-24

We last left you in Burma. After Esther had done her fabulous job with the entire school and 4 phrases of Burmese, the lovely head teacher with her baby in her arms (now that's daycare!) asked us to dinner at her house the following night. She borrowed a bicycle and rode over to our hotel to show us the way to her place. She then walked the bike back with us in tow. She lived in a small house next to her mother's but led us up the stairs of the much larger house on stilts which belonged to her mother. They had placed a small, low table in the middle of the floor and had us sit on the floor around it. Esther is very flexible and had no problem doing this while I knew I would have to be pried up with a 2x4 after the meal. We soon discovered we were the only ones eating. Everyone else had dined is what they told us, but we wondered if the entire food budget had gone for our meal (teachers are so poorly paid in Burma, we were embarrassed to even make a comparison).

With her baby son in her arms and with the help of her sister and niece and nephew, they placed a meal fit for kings...and queens before us. It included a wonderful noodle soup, followed by a grilled fish each, a kind of potato and a variety of vegetables...then she brought in a cold beer for us to share (even though we hadn't noticed a fridge). They then sat around us watching us enjoy it.

After talking about her her family, we found she had 4 boys and a girl, the 2 oldest away at university in Yangon. We found out her baby, who was nearing a year, was named TaTa (obviously from the British colonial days) meaning "goodbye" as she said she was 46 and and she was saying bye-bye to having anymore children.

We left hoping we could find a way to help her and her school in the future.

We are now back in Thailand staying at a more luxurious resort than we are used to,called Tropical Garden at Kata Beach near Phuket.


Christmas and New Year's Greetings to All

2012-12-31

We have enjoyed our Karon Beach (Phuket) holiday so much that we have neglected our blog. We spent the first week and Christmas at the Tropical Garden Resort which had lovely pools and the second week back together with Paul and Geri at the familiar Little Mermaid.

Tonight we celebrate New Year's Eve and the we will get back to our blog.

Happy New Year's!


Sri Lanka--island south of India

2013-01-08

We entered the sci-fi zone when we boarded our airplane to Sri Lanka. The interior of the plane was immersed in a white fog (think of the dry-ice special effect). We could barely see the seats--really!

We were jammed into our cheap seats on Air Asia and the monk next to me was not happy to be seated by a woman.((monks are not to be in contact with women--not even when you give them food offerings). He asked Eddie to switch but I said "no, look at his long legs--he needs the aisle seat." Geri said we all looked hilarious (including the monk) with our mouths open as we slept 2 hours away of the 3 1/2 hour flight. Then the sci-fi continued as the attendants opened aerosol cans and sprayed a disinfectant into the air--they warned us to cover our mouths!!

We arrived in Colombo (no not the detective) the capital of Sri Lanka. We welcomed the cooler temps (around 28C instead of 31C in Phuket and 36C in Bangkok). We headed to the nearby town (half an hour away) called Negombo (look at all the o's in these names). Geri had arranged for a hotel across from the beach and we had a spectacular view--also each night the birds (thousands of them--(think Hitchcock) would fly in huge flocks in front of our balconies like a superhighway following the beach from the north to the south (again I am not kidding).

One thing we have learned is that food may take a long time to prepare. Geri and I had some delicious Sri Lankan fiery hot chicken curry with all the small dishes that go with it (so cheap at $3) but it took 45 minutes to produce it and it was all cold! I made a list of all the Sri Lankan foods that I wanted to eat---they are famous for their curries, pancakes (both savoury and sweet) eggplant, and for breakfast, you dip bread into a lentil mixture.

Today we rented bicycles for the afternoon and Ed and I had a great time in the hot sun going up and down the streets of Negombo. We loved all the craziness---the cattle trying to cross the road at the same time with the tuk tuks and small trucks and buses and goats. We came across hundreds of schoolchildren leaving a Catholic school--they were so bright in their white uniforms and so colorful with their rainbow colored umbrellas. We went down another road and met Muslim boys in their wihite prayer caps and tunics on their way to their Mosque.

Part of the craziness was when a man and woman approached Ed and asked him to go to the police station. What!!! What had Ed done? We had stopped to buy water and I was holding the bikes--did we make a wrong turn?? No, they were the tourist police and they wanted to know how our stay was going. So we went into the police station and they took our picture (mug shot?? no no) and I took theirs (I was so cheeky). They just wanted to know why tourists were not coming to Sri Lanka as much--we didn't know but said the only thing we had noticed was that hotels were more expensive than we had expected. They let us go with a smile.


Back in time - mini vans 1 and 2

2013-01-10

Sorry that I haven't blogged in quite a while, but I have been extremely busy enjoying not cooking, not making beds or doing house work, and it has kept me very busy. Esther has already talked about coming to Sri Lanka and we need to go back in time...

We left Karon Beach in a mini-van to go to our deluxe, VIP night bus to Kuala Lumpur (or so we thought). We were told we were going to be picked up between 7:45 and 8 in the morning after having a delicious buffet breakfast at our hotel. We were there before 7 to eat. Esther and I had our first course (Paul and Geri weren't there yet). About 5 after 7 the driver comes looking for us and tells us we have to go as our bus leaves at 8. Geri made a quick breakfast sandwich (I don't think Paul had anything) and we jumped in. We then drove up island picking up other passengers and returned very close to our hotel before heading for the bus station. The second couple on the bus were whisked away to their bus (it was the one leaving at 8!). We were finally led over to a bay and told to wait. An hour later a mini-van shows up and we are told it will take us to our bus. We get seated wondering how long this will take. It felt like we must be very late because our driver drove like a bat out of a very bad place! On the rain soaked streets he ignored the lanes, often driving down the center of the 2 lanes, beeping his horn madly and pulling out at the very last second, roaring down the opposite lane, forcing drivers to move to the shoulders to let us through. If the opposite lane was full, he would pull right up to the car in front of us (maybe he was drafting like the NASCAR drivers do) and stick right there until there was even a little daylight in the coming lane and pull out and the pull back and force the vehicle in our lane to give way. This went on for 8 frightening hours. He got us to Hat Yai ( a Thai city less than an hour from the Malaysian border) and just in the nick of time. We only had to wait 2 hours until our bus left!

It was 7 at night and we were finally on our VIP bus

After that harrowing ride, the last stage was a piece of cake. Our driver stayed on his side of the road at a comfortable speed (you could even keep your eyes open).

After a quick stop at the border we efficiently went through Thai and Malaysian customs and at 4:00 a.m. local time we were in Kuala Lumpur (we had been able to sleep, although probably dreaming of the daredevil driver reliving the nightmare). We had been on the 3 "buses" for over 20 hours.

We were able to follow the map that Esther had drawn, pulling our luggage down the dark and nearly deserted streets and were able to arrange an early check-in before 5 a.m.

Now today we had another mini-van drive us from Negombo, a town on the west coast of nSri Lanka to Kandy, a town in the mountains of the interior. As you can imagine, we were wondering...

But this driver was as calm and easy paced as the previous one had been frantic and erratic. We were able to pry our eyes away from the windshield, turn to the side and enjoy the scenery.


Swimming my way to India

2013-01-16

Hi all. Lots to catch up on. Now we are in Polonnawura (yeah, so many vowels!!) and have visited the ancient ruins of past kingdoms. Our interesting hotel is right next to one of the archaeological sites and it has a fantastic swimming pool where I have been doing my laps again (up to 51 today).

To update you, we started in Negombo on the western side of the island and then toured to the center to a city in the hills called Kandy. We stayed way up up up on a hill at the Sharon Hotel where we got to savour wonderful Sri Lankan buffets (with every kind of delicious vegetable!). We would walk around the man made lake each day for our exercise.

Lonely Planet had listed the Garrison Cemetery as the 4th favourite thing to see in Kandy and so I tried to lead the way to this little plot of land near the lake. After following many paths (sorry Paul and Geri), even ending up at a monastery, we found it behind a military post. The caretaker Charles was half Scottish and half East Indian and had fantastic stories to tell about many of the gravestones. Disease took many lives especially malaria which they called intermittent fever. There were many infant graves and many where the young men and women were only in their mid-20's. He told stories of war heroes and fatal accidents with elephants.

Next were the famous Botanical Gardens where we encountered more monkeys (Esther is still scared) and now fruit bats. There were hundreds and hundreds of them squawking and talking to each other. Another highlight were the prehistoric looking trees with their curved wave-like roots. Nature is stranger than fiction and now I see where fantasy films get their ideas.

Ed and I toured the sacred palace grounds where the Temple of the Tooth exists. There were many English signs to explain the history of how a tooth from the Buddha was saved and how it passed from kingdom to kingdom.

We left Kandy for Polonnaruwa where the ancient ruins of other kingdoms have been excavated. Right now I am sitting at the hotel restaurant and a bride and groom has arrived with 30 of their family. I am literally surrounded by smiling and curious faces. I will stop now to take a photo. Love to you all, Esther


Ella- not just the first name of jazz but also tea...

2013-01-17

We left Polonnaruwa and returned to Kandy for a night before taking a train to Ella. This was, by far, the most deluxe train trip in S.E. Asia. We could switch our reclining seats to face frontwards or backwards. We circled west then south and finally east to the hill country town of Ella.

Ella is nestled in the mountains which are covered by tea plantations. We took a tour of one tea factory with a rich European history of the time of British rule of Ceylon ( now Sri Lanka after independence). It is one of only three green tea factories there; the rest produce black tea which number over a thousand in Sri Lanka (they use the same leaves but with green tea they are not fermented). The factory itself was surrounded by tea plants. We asked if it was necessary to plant the bushes on such steep slopes (thinking grapes). The tour guide looked at us with a twist of his head, smiled and said, "No, we plant them on the slopes because there is No flat land here!" We headed sheepishly out on the tour (we did find out later that tea grows best on sloped terrains).

As we walked back to Ella we could see that the hills were terraced right to the top with narrow steps to hold the tea bushes. Some of the slopes were so steep it would have been difficult to walk up them. The pickers (always woman- but, after all, it is a difficult job requiring strength and endurance) alternate from hill to hill ensuring a constant supply of leaves. The bushes need to be trimmed like hedges as they can grow into trees over 10 meters tall.


Wella, Wella...tell me more....

2013-01-26

We left Ella with a van and driver and had a very safe drive to the small coastal town of Dickwella or Dikwella. We stayed the first couple of nights at a small 4 room place on the beach called Sea Garden Guesthouse. We were not in our room long before Esther discovered that there was only cold water for our shower. They quickly moved us next door to a room with hot water and we discovered, to our immense pleasure, that we had not lost a cold shower but had gained a fridge.

The next morning we got to select our own fresh lobster, right out of the sea in front of our place (caught by the night fishers) for our evening meal- complete with nut crackers that looked like lobster claws... and garlic butter.

After the second night Paul and Geri stayed there while we moved on to another place because it had WiFi (sometimes intermittently), a huge canopied bed with great linens/duvet and oodles of pillows for Esther. We like being near the town to pick up groceries/treats and walk the streets to meet the local people. The Sri Lankans do stare at our white skin and beach attire, but once we smile, their wariness disappears and their eyes warm up with big grins.

We fell in love with our waitress, maid, office manager etc. Manori who is the daughter of the owners. She is 19 and wants to go to university. She works all day and takes courses (mathematics, economics, statistics) in between her duties here. She is so cheerful and helpful and speaks English so well.

There are few guests here for this town seems to be an undiscovered area. There are so few restaurants and hotels. We found a hotel that has an Italian chef and had wonderful spaghetti carbonara for a change. We do love the Sri Lankan curries here (especially the vegetables like their pumpkin, eggplant, beans) and often have little or no meat for days.

It is kind of boring to talk about...everyday we eat seafood and curry dishes, walk the beaches, play in the surf and read. But...please don't feel sorry for us...we'll be okay.

Esther has been in the ocean everyday and loving it but got knocked down several times by trying to outrun the huge waves here. She got scared and had me teach her how to dive under the 4 foot waves before it breaks. The current is so strong and you can feel its power pulling on you even in the shallow water. This area was hit by the tsunami of 2004 and you have to be cautious and respect the mighty ocean.


Everybody has a long beach!

2013-01-30

After 6 nights at the Dickwella Beach Hotel, we reluctantly packed our bags and moved on. We had fallen in love with the secluded little piece of paradise that we had come to by accident. We could count easily on our fingers the number of tourists we would see each day ( unlike Phuket, where there are too many TO count).

And , of course, we fell in love with Manori. She did everything at her family's Hotel on the beach. She checked us in and out, she waited on us at every meal, she would put our cold drinks in their kitchen's fridge, helped repair our faucet, delivered things to our room, and always at a run. She explained so much about the culture of Sri Lanka and her town, that she kept us entertained and fascinated just talking to her each day. Esther would have taken her to Canada if she could.

Sorry, I can't believe I missed the most wonderful thing about Manori and her family: their generosity! The day before we left, she came to us and said: My family and I would like to make you a special dinner- no charge." We were astonished- after all the things she had already done for us. She asked as what we liked; after telling her that they didn't have to do that for us, she insisted, so we said that we liked seafood, so fish or prawns or squid, anything fresh out of the sea would be lovely. Well, that final night she served us a feast in their little "palapa" by the ocean. She brought out first, fish steaks, and we were thrilled...then she brought lightly battered deep fried prawns and we were shocked then... the tenderest whole squid in cuuried coconut sauce (Esther wanted to lick the plate!) that we have ever had. We told her this was too much. And she continued...pineapple coleslaw/salad, rice and then....French Fries, the Westerner's treat. She topped it of with ice cream for dessert. They even provided us with our drinks. We were overcome with their friendship and kindness. It was a night we will never forget! Thank you, Manori and the whole Laksara family. We are sorry that we didn't have a picture of her mother to share with you. If you come to Sri Lanka, you must stay at this little slice of paradise!

Sadly we moved to Koggala Beach to The Long Beach Resort the next day. We were spoiled by, once again, having a television, fridge, balcony on the ocean (straight south from here there is nothing but water until you hit Antarctica!), a pool, a separate shower stall with a door (including the window from it into the living room) and all with a full buffet breakfast thrown in.

After we spend three nights here we will go by van back to where we started a month ago - Negombo and spend our last night in Sri Lanka before flying back to Kuala Lumpur on February 2nd.

It is hard to believe that over 5 months of our year off have already been eaten away!


Back in Kuala Lumpur with Susan and Maurice

2013-02-01 to 2013-02-05

It was so great to see Susan and Maurice after visiting them at the end of September. Once again they treated Paul, Geri, Esther and me like royalty. It was not too exciting for Susan watching us get caught up on our "techie" pursuits, as we finally had reliable, unfailing WiFi; and did tons of our laundry, but she made us so welcome that it felt like a home away from home. Maurice had to work most of the time and then came home to entertain us while being exhausted from a rigorous work schedule. They were so gracious to us the whole time. There was lots of shopping and wandering around KL, enjoying the festive season as Chinese New Year was on its way.

Paul and Geri flew to Bangkok on the 4th and we moved on to Phuket on the 5th.

It was like leaving close family behind. Paul and Geri are the best travelling companions- so experienced and laid-back, except when it's time to head for the airport, that it made it a breeze for us to travel. We miss you guys! And Susan and Maurice are the kind of friends that you don't see for long periods of time, but once you meet up again, it's as though you have never been apart. We think of you four with love lots!


Neufelds storm Thailand (well, two of them anyway)

2013-02-14

Hello all. We have been having a great time with my brother Vic and sister-in-law Terry. It is wonderful to watch them experience Thailand for the first time.

They have been very careful of the sun while we have been at the beach. The ocean has been so calm and they have loved floating in the saltwater. Vic got excited by the para-sailing and off he went into the blue, blue sky. We got to ride in the speedboat and it was fun to see him flying with the rainbow colored parachute.

The next day we went motorbiking so they could get an idea of the Phuket area. They loved going out into the nearby jungle and wanted to stop at every elephant camp. We met Nicole , a 2 year old baby elephant and got to feed her bananas. Terry even got the motorbiking bug and practiced up and down the road in their vast hotel complex.

They are very happy at Old Phuket Hotel with its pools, gardens, ponds and just steps away from the beach, shopping, restaurants and US! We are down the road, a 10 minute walk, at our usual budget place. But this time we are in the best room on the 3rd floor with an ocean view, a balcony and most importantly---a bathtub! Now all the sand and water can stay in the tub and not on the floor--the typical Asian shower has a wand which sprays on you and onto everything in the bathroom.

Next we went to the Kok Chang Elephant Safari camp. We rode in the bamboo seat for 2 on the back of the elephant for the way up the mountain but going down we got to be the driver -mahout- and all of us got to sit on the neck/head. Vic fell in love with everything about elephants and wanted to wash them and feed them and learn more about them. We barely got him back in the van.


Esther faces one of her many fears!

2013-02-15

The following day we were off to the ocean at Phang Nga Bay where the famous James Bond Island is situated. We went on a self-paddling sea kayak adventure. (Ed here...Esther booked us for self-paddling but the rest of the guests were signed up to have a guide/paddler. We went off with our guide Tom "Cruise" who took us to a small isolated beach on an island that had steep karst walls all around it. He said we were going to enter a sea cave that lead to the inside of the island and that we would have to practice paddling strokes while we were leaning back in the canoe. Then we paddled to an even smaller beach. He said that the tide was still too high and the canoes would not fit in it...a very comforting thought! We pulled the canoes up on to the beach and had to swim to the entrance holding dry bags above our heads (we needed cameras and flashlights). We couldn't even SEE the entrance. We could walk for a while but the cave got smaller and smaller until we couldn't see any further way to go. Tom assured us that we would just duck our heads and come up on the other side, no problem, he would go first. We had to do this a number of time. Esther started to panic as she is very claustrophobic. Tom talked her through it and we were so proud that she was able to overcome this very real fear and meet it head on- she was marvellous) Back to Esther... I thought I knew what was going to happen but WOW did I get a shock! Our guide Tom thought we could handle a thrilling expedition-swimming through a cave while the tide was very high. But he didn't know that I was claustrophobic. I was very scared going under the rock entrance but at least it had some higher pockets. We swam ahead and the rock ceiling came lower and lower until we had to swim under and then pop up into small pockets of air. I started to panic and wanted to turn back many times but Tom and my family got me through it. We entered a hidden lagoon with old growth mangrove trees and a family of monkeys. It was worth it.

Have you ever heard Terry scream? Well, she went wild when she had a fish spa for her feet. For 10 minutes, Eddie sat quietly with his feet dangling in a fish tank filled with hundreds of hungry swimmers ready to eat up his dead skin. Terry screamed like she was on fire. You could hear her for blocks. People said they came from blocks away to see what what was happening, Eddie said it tickled ----like little nibbles.

And then we got to see a spectacular cultural show--FantaSea. There were at least 12 elephants on stage


Leaving Las...Bangkok

2013-02-19

We ended our time in Phuket with a day of snorkelling at Koh Phi Phi islands (1 hour by speedboat) and Bamboo Island. Terry had never snorkelled before and she had to get use to the stinging salt water and some ocean waves. Then she just took off! We saw some Nemo fish, wild iridescent ones but my favourite were the tuxedo fish--half black and half white. The fish loved the colourful cheese puffs that our guide threw into the ocean all around us to attract them. We all dived off the boat for a cool swim in the tropical bay. After lunch, we saw a photo display of the devastation caused by the tsunami to these islands. We saw the rebuilding everywhere.

We then entered the surreal world of Bangkok-- The infamous or famous Khao San Road area known as the Backpackers area. We saw more cigarette smokers, tattooed bodies and 1970's hippi threads than anywhere else in the world (except Hornby Island). Vic and Terry shopped until they dropped. They were a little overwhelmed by the crowded streets and party mode but experienced it all with humour and a smile. Terry ate a curry dish every day while in Thailand and the wickedest one was her green curry chicken pizza--it was actually good but it made her lips burn, burn, burn.

We wanted them to experience a riverboat ferry ride--it was overly crowded and a little hairy for a while but we pushed and shoved and got safely on and off. We had taken them to the Grand Palace--a bit of history and culture. Their palace guide was wonderful and they enjoyed the tour alot. Another first for them was a true tuk tuk ride. We got 2 and sat in a traffic jam for a while before taking off and zooming our way down crowded lanes and back alleys. We wondered why the ride was so cheap but when we arrived at the Big Buddha and did not want to get off for a tour we found out--they get a free gas coupon for every site they take the tourists. They pleaded with us to go into the Thai Center for them--the Thai Center was a huge jewellery store. We rolled our eyes but did it for them. And to our surprise, Terry found a gorgeous sapphire ring.

Terry and I got quick manicures and pedicures and wore our matching red dresses on the final night. They had to get up at 1:30 am to leave by 2am for their 6 am flight. We all got up and hugged and hugged in the wee hours of the morning. It had been a wonderful vacation for them and us.


Goodbye Asia, Hello Europe!

2013-02-20

Dear friends and family,

We wanted to let you know of our plans for the next 6 months. We are leaving for B.C. today and will be visiting friends and family in Victoria and Port Alberni until March 5th. We are looking forward to many hugs from the grandchildren! We will be in Manitoba from March 5th to the 18th in the loving arms of the Neufeld family (heard they just had a blizzard.)

We are then heading to Europe: Spain, Italy and Greece for March, April and May-----Germany, Paris and England for June and July. Eddie has never been east of Toronto so we are planning to finish off our travels on the East coast of Canada. Plan to be back in Victoria for the last week of August to set up my classroom.

Thanks again for all our emails! They really brighten up each day.


Back in Canada with family and friends

2013-02-22 to 2013-02-28

Hello all. We have had a wonderful time back in Victoria and Port Alberni for the last 12 days. We have so enjoyed all the hugs and kisses from family and friends.

We had a shock when we found out that Ed's sister Lucille and husband Don had had a terrible fire in their house the day before we arrived. They managed to get out with their dogs and Don even helped save the house with his quick thinking of using the garden hose on the fire. It started in the chimney pipe of their wood stove in the family room. We saw the house several days later and the insurance company had already stripped it bare and had shipped everything to a warehouse to be cleaned and stored. They told us today that the renovations will cost around 175,000 which will be covered by insurance. They are staying at their daughter's Lenore's for the next several months. They have gotten over the worst of it and are getting their strength back. They still do not know how much they have lost. We had a few boxes stored there and we have had most come back undamaged.

So we have been staying at a downtown older hotel with a kitchen and separate bedroom. We had all 3 grandkids for a sleepover and it was such a great pyjama a party! They loved our little pool and came over several times. We got to see Connor and Olinka's new school, Cloverdale. We were very impressed. We had so much fun watching Connor play hockey and Olinka at gymnastics. Little Elishka has grown up so much and makes us laugh with all her antics. Jason made a wonderful dinner for us at his place.

Sadly Katherine had had a fire at her place which started in the garage. She lost a lot--from Christmas decorations to art supplies to camping equipment. We had stored our mattress and 1 bike there and they were destroyed too.

Then it was time to see all our wonderful friends in Port Alberni. We got to visit all our friends at 3 fantastic dinners. Thank you Kerry, Richard and Sylvia and D'Arcy and Elaine for hosting us. Thank you Paul and Geri for letting us stay in your home while you are travelling in Southeast Asia. We were so inspired by the beauty of B.C. again. From the snow-capped Mt. Arrowsmith to the magnificent forests to the blue-green ocean. I will load photos of our Port Alberni friends later this week.

We are off to Manitoba tomorrow for 12 days of winter holiday fun with the Neufeld family. Talk to you all soon.


Marvellous Manitoba

2013-03-16

Hello all from only -12 C Manitoba! Eddie and I have been enjoying the pampered life here in the sunny Prairies. My sister Bev and husband Len have been treating us like royalty--all of her 5 wonderful kids have grown up so much while we have been away and like visiting with "Auntie and Eddie." My mom is doing so well at 86 in her assisted living apartment building in Steinbach. We got to have a 3 night sleepover at mom's place and had so much fun she was pooped.

We were honoured with a wonderful homecoming party at the newly renovated "Neufeld Garage" in Randolph. Unfortunately when the garage was sold the new owner could not manage his payments so the brothers took over and have turned it into a fantastic hall complete with movie theatre, indoor mini hockey rink, stage and buffet area. Vic organized a crokinole tournament which was so much fun.

We have been visiting with all the different families and we thank them for all their great hospitality. For Eddie's 67th birthday we went out to a fantastic steak restaurant in Winnipeg with Bev and Len. Bev has been making all my favourite meals from gooseberry platz (cake), homemade macaroni and cheese, beef stew, sloppy joes, chicken noodle soup, ham and mashed potatoes etc. she has spoiled Eddie with cookies, homemade bread and pumpkin pie!

We are off to Toronto, London, England and southern Spain on Monday---we will be travelling for 36 hours! We would love to hear from you all.


Blowing Blizzard to Balmy Beaches!

2013-03-20

Hola Everyone,

We are sitting on our balcony in Torremolinos, Spain at 8:30 at night reflecting on our last three days. We were up before 6 a.m. on Monday morning and heading to the airport in a snowstorm. We had stayed at a hotel in Winnipeg because of the snow warning the previous day and already missed the royal spoiling we had received with Bev and Len and family ( thanks again to all of you for making our time in Manitoba a real treasure!).

Esther was mortified at the airport when she had to remove her coat to go through security and the security agent, after outlining her with the security wand, told her she had her black t-shirt on inside out with the tags flapping in the breeze. The agent said it was okay because it meant that someone was going to give you a gift- very lucky!

We flew to Toronto and arrived around noon. We flew out again around 9 p.m. after being delayed by blowing snow and de-icing. We had supper at ten and tried to catch some Z's before they woke us for breakfast at 2 a.m.

We arrived in London's Gatwick Airport about 8:00 in the morning (their time) and wandered around, ate and tried to sleep on the waiting room benches until we left at 4:30 in the afternoon. We arrived in Malaga around 8:00 at night and found the train station in front of the airport. We were so happy to find it would cost just over 3 Euros to get to our hostal rather than a 20 Euro taxi ride. It was very quiet and quite deserted as we got off the train and headed south (thank goodness Esther had packed a compass) and found our quaint little hostal- Escandinavia. The lady who runs it is a gem- after meeting her we knew we were going to love this place!

After dumping our stuff in our room we headed out to explore our new home, even though we were tired. We walked and oohed and aahhed at each new discovery. We finally found a little hole-in-the wall place and had some tapas and our first Spanish wine. We finally got into a real bed with real pillows around 1:00 a.m. Wednesday morning- 38 hours after waking up in the hotel in Winnipeg (which my jet lagged brain first reported as 50 hours- Esther was right about the math and I was wrong- sorry, Hon).

We finally got out of bed today at one in the afternoon. We have explored Torremolinos the rest of the day and now it is time for bed. Sweet Dreams.


The rain in Spain falls mainly on the ...

2013-03-23

Hello-Esther here. We are snug as a bug in our warm room despite the rain showers outside. We got sun the first 2 days but now have had clouds come our way in the early afternoon. We have picked up groceries and some ice and so have a picnic for breakfast of cheese, bread and an apple. Then out we go out for hours of walking (still is 15-19 C).We then have our main meal of the day between 4:30 and 5 pm. We have found some small Cafe's with menu del Dia - two course meals with a drink and dessert for around 10 Euros ($13) each. We have had everything from noodles in tomato sauce, baby squid, sauted veal, Spanish potatoes, cold seafood salad, omlettes, French fries and seafood soup. We then pick up anything for a night snack like olives, peanuts, wine, and something sweet for my honey.

We have had lots of fun exploring our neighborhood and city. We decided to head up to the hills one day and ended up at the plaza with the bullfighting ring, the central market and sports arenas. Of course when you go up you must go down and so we zigzagged around and found ourselves at the most lovely park. We had seen the tower from way below along the beach boardwalk. And now here we were.

Hey we found our first dollar store. Bev you would love it. We bought an insulated beach bag for our ice to keep our groceries cold. We have been trying out our few phrases of Spanish. Sometimes their words are so fast that we have to say "lo siento, no entiendo--sorry, don't understand. " Street musicians pop up here and there and we have heard some lovely guitar, accordian, and pan flute. No flamenco yet.

Our waiter today was so positive and took great care of us. We were the only ones in the cafe and he kept bringing us

more food to try. He said he was so lucky to have a job and to be able to work long hours (12 a day) for others have

nothing. This is a tourist area and with the economic crisis we see many empty and closed stores and restaurants. The prices for shoes, boots, clothing etc. are shockingly low. Many sales tables lure you with their 1 Euro and 2 Euro prices. We can walk for blocks and not see another person. But to see the beautiful Spanish people is quite something-- they are dressed in tight clothes--the women in high heels or gorgeous leather boots. They are usually slim and chic. Lots of handsome Spanish men too --ole!

Ed and I are sleeping much better. The walls are thin in European hotels so we were hearing our neighbors tv, talking and door slamming. So I got a sleep app for white noise for the iPad. Boy has that helped. Now we listen to the sound of a gently whirring fan. We are finally getting over our jet lag and ready for the museums, palaces and street markets in Spain.

That's all for now. We are here for 2 more days and then head to Granada during the Semana Santa--Easter week here. Should see many religious street processions and thousands of people.


Two Eyes on the Same Side of the Nose?

2013-03-25

Yes, we travelled by train into Malaga to see the museum totally dedicated to Picasso. It was housed in the Buenavista Palace, an example of 16th Century Andalusian architecture that looked like it could have been built in recent times. The museum was started by his grandson's wife, and focused to a large extent on Picasso's early works when under the tutelage of his father, an art teacher and artist himself, which focused on realism- mainly portraits and landscapes (the eyes were on either side of the nose as one would expect of other artists).

Esther spent the first 15 minutes fascinated by a video of Picasso painting on a sheet of glass, a dozen bold strokes and a little mugging for the camera and he was on to the next "canvas". She was trying to figure out how to adapt these short videos into a drama unit that could end up on the stage.

There was a good assortment of his later works which were more what I expected to see of Picasso. To me, many looked like 5 or 6 bold strokes and some quick filling in, much like he demonstrated in the videos, something a non-artist, like me, could copy easily. Esther stared at me in disgust, I thought I heard her mutter "philistine" as she walked away from me to the next gallery. (I did not but it makes a good story Ed)

We picked a busy day to go the the museum. The whole area, for blocks round the museum, were packed with spectators and a huge religious procession celebrating the beginning of the week of Easter festivities. There were massive "floats" featuring huge Catholic tableaux featuring figures fron that period of history, carried by dozens of men dressed in what looked like monks' robes.

There were brightly coloured marching bands playing processional music to accompany the very slow moving "stages". There were frequent stops to rest; a hooded man with a whistle marked the starting, stopping and lowering of the "stages" to the ground- those things were obviously very heavy.

There were parades of others marching with them- some of them in costumes that looked, to the Philistine, me, as a cross between a nun's habit and a KKK robe. I am sure Esther will do some research and let you know what they really were.


The Red Castle in the Sky

2013-03-30

We arrived in Granada by bus (after discarding our bus ticket as we thought it was direct -it wasn't- we had to change buses in Malaga...all was well though as we found it in our garbage bag before the bus left) and caught a city bus to town. We had a map and found our little Pension. It prepared us for walking the city.

Once you are off the main roads, it becomes a city of mazes. You feel like a tiny rat making your attempt to find the cheese. The side streets are really cobblestone alleys, most just wide enough for a car and a pedestrian on either side. The 3 to 5 story buildings are flush to the small sidewalks so it is difficult to search for landmarks such as church steeples (very plentiful here).

So you try and wander in the right direction, as the alleys never go too far before making a turn (decide left or right) and move on.

Of course, we had to see Alhambra, the mountain top Moorish fort/palace complex that overlooks the city of Granada. It is the most visited tourist site in Spain. We tried to buy tickets on line but they were on sold out. We had not considered when we booked Granada that it was one of the busiest times of the year here- Semana Santos- Easter Week ( they do celebrate the whole week long). We decided to take the long walk up to the ticket sales area before supper (6:30 pm), a very steep 30 minutes. We got the lay of the land and found we needed to be back up there the next morning, lining up at 7 am for the start of ticket sales at 8.

The next morning we were up very early and made our trek to the top only to find a long line-up already assembled. We waited until 8 and our creeping line inched forward. After 45 minutes we heard the announcement - morning tickets were all sold out (there were morning sessions (8to 2), afternoon (2to 8) and night (after 8). As we edged closer to the front we heard another announcement, in Spanish first. All the morning Nasrid Palaces visits-which are a separate line up- were full. Would we have to come line up again tomorrow? Finally we were first in line- we rushed to the agent before they changed their minds. We had the afternoon session with our Nasrid Palaces visit booked for 6:30 p.m. The only problem, we had to walk back down, have breakfast and then head back up again at 1 pm. Whew! Our legs were going to get a good workout !

We decided to head to Charles V Palace first. We passed archaeological excavations along the way as well as lovely gardens. The Moors were forced out in 1492 and Isabella/Ferdinand (who financed Columbus) took over Alhambra. They wanted to make it a monument to Christendom. Later Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor who became King of Spain, created the palace--a magnificent Renaissance circular hall within a square foundation.

Next was the Alcazaba--(I am laughing right now because Ed is lisping because you pronounce the "z" like "th" so it is Alcathaba). It is the original "red castle" (Alhambra means red castle). We loved the view from these top towers of the new city of Granada and the old barrios filled with whitewashed pueblo like houses. We had a picnic of delicious ham sandwiches (the ham here is out of this world--sorry cousins in Manitoba)! Rested our weary backs and legs and were refreshed enough to continue the next 4 hours.

We got to go into a Catholic Convent, Moorish baths, and then the magnificent Generalife--the architect's gardens. The leisure area of the royalty who needed a rest from all their hard work (I think we all need gardens then).

We were absolutely pooped and were only revived by a drink of red wine and lemon with ice! I know--red wine with lemon--gross to most red wine lovers. But it was the only thing available and it hit the spot! It actually tasted very good. Then we got to see the highlight of the Alhambra-- the Moorish palaces. They were worth the wait. The Moors believe that water was a symbol of life and wealth and there were water features everywhere (I would like some for our backyard Ed). The scalloped columns, the spiralling ceilings and carved walls were unbelievable.

We started at 1:30 and wearily trudged down the mountain at 7:30. But it was a memory to treasure---and more memories ahead to make in Rome, Athens, Paris and London.


Our time in Granada

2013-03-31

Happy Easter to everyone! The bells were ringing this morning from every "Iglesias". But when I looked at my watch I wondered why it was an hour behind the computer? Did my $9 Walmart watch break down? Well, we didn't realize that Daylights Savings happened today in Europe. Glad it didn't happen tomorrow when we have to catch the bus to Seville (3 hours).

We have been having weak wifi so haven't been able to Skype anyone in Canada although wonderful Paul and Geri got through from Indonesia! So it is 7 hours difference between Manitoba and us and 9 hours difference between B.C. and us. It is nice to be on the same day with you all!! It is 4:36 pm here now and you are all enjoying your morning--- -7:36 am in B.C. and 9:36 am in Manitoba.

We have had a lovely but cooler time in Granada. There has been some rain and cloudy days (12-15 C) but we have enjoyed walking the historic streets. Our hotel, San Jose Pension, is run by a wonderful young family. The owner introduced himself to me with 2 kisses -one on each side of the cheek and said "I am Juanito." It is a small room but is clean, quiet and conveniently located near all the cafes, shops and historic sights.

We had 2 delicious meals at a restaurant around the corner " Veracruz." The waitress was so sweet and her family runs the restaurant so we got to meet the grandpapa (who was a little eccentric), her brother's family with their new 1 month old baby and her mama.

The " super mercado" supermarket is one block away so we bought our usual meat, cheese, fruit, wine and treats. It is always a pantomime skit when we are looking for something--try to explain zip lock bags in Spanish! But I got my Gouda cheese!

The Arabic influence is here in many shops and restaurants so we got some Moroccan cous cous and chicken tajine for one dinner. So wonderful --might go back tonight.

With so many tourists here for Semana Santos it is hard to navigate the streets around the procession route. We often try to avoid some areas and discover new things just doors away. Did you know that Burger King serves beer with its full meal deal? Only in Spain! Ed has fallen in love with the bacon here-- not the Serrano ham or any other kind of "jamon" ---"just the bacon. We actually had a bacon and cheese pizza--wow.

We have usually been successful in trying to get a meal when the Spanish people are just having tapas or their kind of snack--sweet pastries and coffee. But with Easter we have been turned away many a time and could not get the Menu Del Dia --menu of the day which is the best low cost meal--can include your wine, soup or salad, pasta, potato or rice, seafood or chicken, dessert or coffee all for 7-9 Euros each. So we have our cup a soup and sandwiches ready. The metal heating wand was giving us a few problems but with some twists on the cord we got it back working.

There have been so many sales here in all the stores but I checked out how much it would cost to mail any souvenirs home and it was outrageous -- 23 Euros ($30 Cdn) per 2.2 pounds! Oh well, sorry grandkids, family and friends. All we are bringing home are photos and ourselves.

. Sending you lots of love on this Happy Easter Day!


I can't wait to tell you I went to the Barber of Seville!

2013-04-07

We left Granada behind and bussed to Sevilla (Seville). I had it worked out on a map how to get to our Pension from the bus station. The problem was the bus station location I got from Trip Advisor was not the one we arrived at. At the Info desk at the bus station we were told to catch bus C-4. I knew the intersection where we wanted to get off so we hopped on the bus and hoped the driver's English was better than our Spanish.

I had taken a picture of the map on the I-Pad (thanks for teaching me that, Geri) and passed it in through a narrow space in the plastic cage the driver sat in. I'm trying to point to where we want to get off (through the plastic); he nods and hands it back and says he will tell us when we are there. We seem to be in the bus a long time as we keep searching for the street names. Finally Esther taps me on the back and says we are back at the bus station! We stay on and I try again with the driver, and when we stop at an intersection---I stay up front. This time he says 3 more stops. We get off and start walking and walking rolling our luggage behind us. It turns out we were 2 stops too far. But we arrived.

We fell in love with Seville immediately- our area was built with pedestrians and cyclists foremost in the planning. It's what we love to, just wander and watch life go by. It's easy to do in Seville.

Esther here--I thought that our hotel rooms couldn't get any smaller. Well this one had no window as well. Ed says that the room actually felt bigger because we kept the bathroom door open. We only had a small transom window above the door. So we kept our window and door open to see the sunlight from the deck where they hung laundry. But we did get to change rooms after 3 days and so we are in a much nicer room with a balcony window! Whew!

We wanted to mention squeaking! The roads and sidewalks here are so clean in Spain that they squeak like New Bothwell Cheese! They must put a coating on for the car tires sound so strange. You should see the tiny street cleaning vehicles out every night.

I have been continuing to jog and have loved the Murillo Park 100 feet down the block right next to the Alcazar (Royal Palace still in use). That is the great thing about about hotel--it is right near everything. Some streets have been turned into pedestrian only so we have enjoyed our walks.

The tap water here tastes great so we have been filling up our bottles and making tea/coffee in our room. But the new heating wand shorted out so we are on the lookout for a new one or a travel kettle.

Even laundry can be adventure while travelling. A self-serve laundry with coin operated washing machines and dryers was just a block away so we did 2 loads. The lady was so nice and I got a shot of her pressing flamenco dresses. She told us about a nearby cafe with good food. We have been eating there every day--Bar Don Pelayo--simple tasty food, low prices and great staff. Carmen the cook and Mar the waitress have been enjoying our hilarious Spanish. We've also had some good food and drinks at the Estrella Galicia on the main San Bernadino Avenida where the electric tram cars run. So cool to hear the clip clop of horses as they pull carriages like in Victoria.

We had a bit of a stressful moment when the ATM shut down while Ed was in the middle of a transaction. Luckily his card did come back out and no charges were made.

Ed has been having problems with his heart and the episodes continued each day and night and so we headed to the hospital. We had translated the medical words we needed and that sure helped get us to a doctor within 15 minutes. He gave Ed an EKG to make sure and it read his heart was back in normal rhythm. But because of the constant rapid and irregular heartbeat during the night, he suggested that Ed increase his medication. He takes one more pill a day and he thinks his heart feels better. We are taking life much more slowly for Ed tires easily. But we still feel we can continue with this trip of a lifetime.

We have really enjoyed the sights and smells of Seville. Yes, it really does smell like orange blossoms! And the palace is so close by so we walked through the amazing rooms and gardens. We got a guided tour of the bullfighting ring which had a fascinating history. I wanted to see a flamenco show and so researched it and so we went to a show with a combo of guitar solos, singing and dancing. We had front row seats in this small historic building which had a guitar museum as well.

We are off to Rome tomorrow. So excited about this new country. We have been trying to understand a few words of Italian with the help of our 2 language apps. I write out the phrases in the notebook for my purse and have it in my hand the first few days. It really helps to learn a little of their language-- it shows respect, opens doors and gets smiles. Arrivederci!


Italy

2013-04-22

Planes, trains and ...pickpockets

Italy! We flew in, caught a bus easily and after searching down many lanes we found our home for 1 week. It is a great room with couch, large bath with tub (hurrah!) , FRIDGE, balcony, free wifi, one big bed (well actually 2 singles on one wooden frame --oh well ), large closet, desk and tv ( no English except one MTV like channel with great oldies but they have new tv shows like CSI and Law & Order as well as the old shows like the A Team and a Dukes of Hazzard in Italian).

But the one drawback is the noise of the airport in our backyard and the noise of the train to downtown Roma. When we close our door it is not so bad but...they still have the winter heat on so we have to open our balcony doors to get fresh air. Rather silly and a waste of electricity!

We are in working class neighbourhood with small shops, grandparents pushing strollers and elderly Italian men chatting away with their hands over cappuccinos. We walk 10 minutes to the train and the grocery store for supplies. We are cozy here and well taken care of.

The first day we went to downtown Rome I was so excited to see my first sight--and within minutes there they were --Roman Aquaducts! Then we were in the main train terminal and Ed navigated us towards the Colosseum. I caught a glimpse and my heart started pounding. We were walking up a steep street and suddenly there it was! We decided just to get ourselves oriented so we walked around it and then on to the Forum nearby.

Ed here. We then walked up to the Trevi Fountain (famous in many movie scenes, so ,of course, we had to see it; we watched Roman Holiday the next day). We were getting tired from all the walking and decided to take the Metro back to the train terminal. It was packed and we pushed in with the rest of the sardines. One young girl (about 11 or 12) and her, I assume, younger sister (about 9 or 10) got on just behind me. The doors closed and the older one kept pushing against me, as she circled me. The car jolted and the younger one pretended to be unsteady and grabbed my arm with both hands and held on. The older one kept circling and I thought I know what was going on so, I moved to the center pole and pressed against it, keeping one hand on my right front pocket- yes, where I kept my wallet, they showed no emotion on their faces the whole time. The next station came up quickly. The doors clanged open and out they hopped. Our first pickpocketing experience was over as quickly as it had started. Back to Esther.

We were very tired and hungry by the time we reached our little haven and were we ever glad for our fridge! We munched on fresh tomatoes, carrots with the peel on and spring greens for a salad. For breakfast we had nice strawberries on our muesli.

No tea or coffee for us since the heating wand blew up so on my morning walk I stopped at the cafe adjoined to the supermarket. After many gestures they understood my order of decaf coffee and tea with milk --takeaway. They don't usually do takeaway orders so they rinsed out some small glass bottles and filled them up for me. So I went back the next day and the next until we found a small travel kettle. Of course the American kettle didn't have the right plug so off I went to find an adaptor and again, with a few words and gestures I got help and the right plug!


We got to Vatican City and again just learned the layout for later in the week. Tour guides come at you trying to sell you a ticket with them so you can avoid the long lines. Some tell you tall tales of 2 hour delays.

Now I am very curious and so I went around and around St. Peter's magnificent square, around barricades and down lanes for no one was stopping me. It was the day of the pope's address to the people and we saw the thousands of chairs and barriers set up. I wanted some official Vatican City stamps and so went to their official post office and saw a little sign for info. Well there was a free tour of St. Peter 's Basilica happening in 5 minutes with 2 seminary students. I looked at Ed and he said why not so off we
went with Emmett our guide telling us the history of every part of the square as we were in line. Absolutely fascinating! The line was long but with their help we got through in 1/2 hour and we were in for free (all churches in Rome are free). When you were in line you could see the people entering the Basilica and they liked like ants compared to the size if the columns -- and here we were! The Basilica was very full and Emmett told us story after story about the important paintings, sculptures, reliefs, and the preserved bodies of 3 popes. Suddenly organ music played and a service was taking place at one end-- the hair on the back of my neck was standing up as we witnessed the flowing robes at the front leading the congregation into song. Unbelievable!
P.S. - we seem to be having a problem with our blog site and the pictures we are sending are not turning up there.


We are Glad.........iators

2013-04-23

Colosseum and Forum

Incredible to be in the place where rich and poor, emperors and gladiators walked. I knew about the underground passages but did not know how many hand pulled elevators with pop up doors were a part of the Colosseum floor-- 80! I would love just 1 for my stage! And how the plebeians were entertained! Food and wine and comedy acts in between the horrors of torture and to the death fighting.

Again we got in within minutes with our Roma Pass which paid for the major attractions and lots of transportation. Forget the tour guides -- we had our free Rick Steves Audioguide again.

The Forum is just down the street and so we began our historical tour. We had watched the HBO series "Rome" which followed the lives of 2 soldiers who lived and worked in the Forum. We walked the same streets that Julius Caesar, Cleopatra and Mark Anthony walked. We stood where Caesar was cremated after being assassinated. We stood at the remains of the villa and Temple of the Vestal Virgins. Fascinating that after 30 years of attending to the Temple and keeping the sacred flame alight, they were permitted to marry and were given a large dowry, as long as they had remained virgins. If they were found not to meet those requirements, they were given a loaf of bread and a lamp...and buried alive.

We really felt we could sense the ghosts of time all around us. For Ed, the history fan, this visit was a chance to see for himself the wonders of the ancient world.
Again, sorry, Getjealous has not corrected our problem with photos.


One step to be in the smallest state in the world.

2013-04-24

Because we only have 1 meal out a day, we like to try foods that are special to Italy. Ed had heard Italians love artichokes and so he tried baked ones with a lovely olive oil and herb marinade. Deliciouso! I hadn't had cannelloni since my late teens and it was a creamy delectable dish.

I like to eat at a sidewalk cafe near the historic buildings we visited each day so I could gaze upon them once more. We found a little gem I call Maria's--we looked up at the Vatican with its imposing rock walls. Ed wanted a real veal meal and Maria suggested one with bacon on top with a light sauce. Oh, heavenly. She liked us so much she gave us a free salad and 2 desserts. We were sitting there at a sidewalk table on the corner of 2 streets when all of a sudden a red car zooms toward us. And stops! And a priest gets out! He parked at the corner in the crosswalk! He laughed at our astonishment and said this is normal in Italy. And we have seen the weirdest parking --2 cars bumper to bumper with no way of getting out, horizontally parked cars blocked two and three deep- is it just because the neighbours all know each other and know who is coming and going??and cars parked backwards on 1 way streets. Only the Italians can get away with it.

Okay, the Vatican Museums. What can we say. We had heard about the long line ups and it took all of 3 minutes to get in. Zip! The museum wants you to see everything in a 1 way direction and we tried rushing past the tour groups to get into the Sistine Chapel right away. It took a little maneuvering but we did it--the hallways got narrower until the steps before it funnel you in and the loudspeaker boldly warns you--no photos--no talking. We go in and it is packed. But there it is! God and Adam touching fingers!
We have our iPod touch ready for Rick Steve's free audio guide and we learn about the fascinating history of the ceiling panels. Ed did not want to leave! We learned that while the Church and clergy fell down with wonder at his creation, Michelangelo stood from the floor when the scaffolding was removed and was not completely happy. He thought he had made the figures large and grand enough, but from the floor he was disappointed. We got a seat on the side benches and just sat there in awe. We actually did think that the panel with God and Adam touching fingers would have been larger. He did the second half of the ceiling with larger figures and did a grandiose design for his final work on the immense judgement scene. Finally we thought we should give others a chance to sit. Our necks hurt from staring up. We roamed through other galleries and sat in one of the many gardens for a little rest in the 22C sun.

I will never forget crossing over into the world's smallest nation.


Pantheon

2013-04-27

The Pantheon is best preserved building from Ancient Rome. It was built as a Temple for the worship of all gods by Marcus Agrippa -it recently celebrated its 1400 year anniversary as a continuously practicing Christian church.

The building is magnificent! It was an architectural marvel - a circular room with a dome. The dome had a 30 foot round opening -the only source of light and when it rains -yes, you and the floor get wet - but it has holes in the marble floor for drainage and it is sloped to the edges.

The Spanish Steps were built leading up to a French church. They have been famous in history and in the movies. I went up them in the sparkling sun and could see thousands of tourists coming up the streets-- some streets nearby led to expensive stores like Ferragamo, Dolce & Gabbana, and Jimmy Choo's shoes.

Ed and I ate tiramisu gelato near the steps like Audrey Hepburn did in "Roman Holiday". Have any of you watched that classic princess and reporter tale?

Wishing you were here to share in our happy memories.


Vieste, Italy on the Adriatic Coast

2013-05-04

Vieste

Off to the seashore we went by bus and 2 trains. The 4 1/2 hour train ride was so relaxing and we whizzed through gorgeous countryside and many a tunnel. The bus ride was like going from Port Alberni to Tofino--narrow winding roads through mountains with olive groves and goats! Yes, herds of goats took over the single lane as we looked down, down, down the edge towards the Adriatic Sea. Paul and Geri will remember a treacherous bus ride in Burma--this one was much safer but still seeing the edge of the cliffs is unnerving.

Our host was very willing to pick us up in the town of Vieste--2 km from her property. Ed had seen the sign for her place and there even was a bus-stop close by but we headed to the bus station -a deserted sidewalk with few businesses around it-- and it was siesta time so many places we're closed-- we wanted a few groceries but the grocery stores close from 1:30-5:30 too. Using the Italian public phones was exasperating!! We finally got the message through and within minutes her sister was there in her snazzy SUV. We went back the way we had come in and climbed up the mountainside to her gorgeous B&B!

Our suite was large with separate bedroom, bathroom with stone shower, living room with futon and self-contained cabinet-kitchenette. Oh and the huge deck with wicker chairs, dining table and clothes rack. We were in heaven!

But we had no food for supper but we had read that Libera our host was a good cook and so she made us a delicious meal- fresh fish from the Adriatic, antipasti platter with all her homemade pickled olives & sun dried tomatoes and a simple salad.

She surprised us with a fruit dessert too.

We knew she would be making us an Italian breakfast and there it was- fresh lemon cake from her lemons -- dessert for breakfast- oh that Italian sweet tooth. Fruit and crusty bread accompanied the cake.

Okay--what is with this rather hard white bread-- it takes jaw power to bite it, you scrape your gums chewing it and you need to soften it with oil or butter. Of course the olive oil is fantastic-and they give you salt and pepper to sprinkle on it too. Once she gave us arugula from her garden to put onto the oiled bread-- tart but good. She also made a fresh tortilla like flatbread with oil and herbs. that was my favorite! To eat on her beautiful driftwood and glass table in the 23C sun facing the sea was so peaceful.

We wanted to explore the neighborhood and so took off down the steep driveway- we knew we had to return up this challenging lane so did an hour walk-- around us were hotels not open for the season,

a high school, olive groves, a huge cemetery and near the beach, closed restaurants.

When we returned we saw Libera and she mentioned she was going into town for some errands and did we want to pick up food from her favorite store? Yes! we filled up our basket with local sharp cheese, eggs and ham to fry, pasta/sauce, and veggies. Gosh, their carrots and tomatoes were so sweet.

We rested up after our long week of sightseeing in Rome. Libera kept asking if we needed anything or wanted to go out but we were happy to veg. Ed found BBC in English and he was so content. Sadly, we watched the news of the horrific Boston Marathon bombing.

We got 2 more rides to town and bought our train/ bus tickets to Florence and strolled along the winding narrow streets with many, many stairs. The old part of town has the whitewashed look of a windswept Mediterranean medieval village. We had missed the ocean and it was great to see this part of Italy-- very mountainous, rocky dry fields where only donkeys and goats grazed and only olives grew.

Libera and her family live on the 3 acres-- she and her son in one small villa, her one sister in another and her parents in the bottom of the 3 story main building (can hold 24 guests). Her other sister has a hotel on the adjoining property. Libera's Dad was a wonderful character who actually owned everything and was a handyman extraordinaire-- his rock walls, driftwood furniture and tile creations made the B&B absolutely gorgeous. Their 3 dogs were always yapping but were okay.


Our "Under the Tuscan Skies"

2013-05-08

We had heard so much about the beauty of Tuscany from Kerry's travels around the world and D'Arcy & Elaine's plans for a dream-trip to a Tuscan Villa so we made it a 5 day stop.

After a 3 hour bus ride, a 5 hour train ride to Bologna and a final half hour train ride we arrived in Florence. On that last leg we were anxious to take photos from the train window of the famous Tuscany countryside but found the train spent almost the whole time in tunnels, interspersed with flashes of sunlight as it moved between them. We would whip out our camera, and by the time it took to engage, we were back in the dark.

We only spent one night in Florence but filled our time to the max. We found our urban B and B, settled in and then wandered the streets. We found an out of the way little restaurant and had a feast...the highlight being Esther's Steak Florentine (a giant T-bone) with spinach and Seafood Risotto.

The next morning we put all our bags into storage at the train station and headed out. We toured the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore (usually called the Duomo), a magnificent cathedral that opened in 1436 after being started in the 1200's. The marble facade, done in pale red, white and green marble (colours of the Italian flag) was done in the 1900's.

I wanted to see the museum dedicated to models made from the sketches of Leonardo de Vinci (from well before their time): like tanks, machines of flight and a robot mechanism in a suit of armour.

We were so lucky to have short line-up into the Accademia Gallery which houses the 17 foot statue "David" (of David and Goliath fame) by Michelangelo. It sat in an outside piazza for nearly 370 years (and in the nude yet) before being replaced there by a copy and finding a permanent home here. We quickly made a tour of the rest of the gallery but were drawn back time after time to circle him and stare with awe. I told Esther it was eerie but I felt like I was looking in a mirror ( she has recently stopped laughing). It is considered the world's best sculpture and now we know why.

We took off by train to our nest in Montecatini, Tuscany. The two brothers who ran the hotel were superb with their fabulous hospitality. We got a corner room and they even brought up a tiny fridge for us. We had a grocery store around the corner and the main street with all the restaurants was 1 block away. But the walls were paper-thin and we did hear our neighbours and the noise from the locals out in the streets every night from 9-midnight (the Europeans sure go out when the sun goes down!) Oh, well. We loved the relaxed attitude in this beautiful spa-town (even Grace Kelly had visited for the special waters).

We took the funicular (cable-pulled trains that go up steep inlines) up to the original medieval town in the area, Montecatini Alto. The views were so pretty with the olive groves, vineyards, winding lanes, villas and monasteries on the hilltops. A rainstorm blew up suddenly but nothing could dampen the happiness of these two lovebirds ( we have been married almost 9 years now!)

We were only 2 train rides away from the Leaning Tower of Pisa so off we went -- but our one train was late so we ended up in the walled city of Lucca. Quite fascinating and the hometown of Puccini. We had just watched an episode of "The Borgias" the night before and the French King Charles had pillaged Lucca on his way to claim his rights to the kingdom of Naples. Here we were, wandering its streets behind the walls that couldn't stand up to the French' s newly developed artillery.

Off to Pisa and it was remarkable-- this failure in architecture. You really think it is going to fall over-- they have reinforced it and charge a pretty penny to climb the endless steps at a 30 degree angle.

Ed wanted to go to Pompeii and see Mt. Vesuvius so we are on our way for another adventure. Hold onto your computers!

Thanks for reading our blog-just our silly meanderings but they may be interesting to us years from now.


Naples

2013-05-09

We left Montecatini with regret and headed to Naples with trepidation. We had heard many reports of its seediness and problems with crime (it is still home to Mafia connections to this day).

The Napoli train station is in the worst part of Naples. We dragged our bags 8 blocks to our hotel, whose name did not fit the location-Hotel Casanova. The whole 8 block square area was filled with, what appeared to be, 95% men, either unemployed or selling sunglasses or lighters. The vast majority of the sellers seemed to be African immigrants. We passed one square that was the dirtiest we had ever seen- after one night especially, clothes and garbage were spread around like a teenaged boy's bedroom only worse. But as Geri always says, give a place 3 days stay before you judge it. We ended up liking our little place although we were not out on the streets after 9 p.m.

We used Naples as our base and toured the surrounding area by train. Esther had never seen so much graffiti --on the station walls, the buildings, even on the trains themselves (sometimes we couldn't even see through the windows--Ed says it was like the Bronx).

We spent a day at Herculaneum and another at Pompeii, wandering through the excavated ruins of those cities brought back to life from under the rock and ashes of the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in AD 79. Ed's dream came true of seeing these sites that he had read about and was fascinated by since he was a kid. For Esther she will never forget the thought of thousands of citizens who had survived the first eruption and had thought that they were safe on the beach, soon to be rescued, only to be instantly killed by the wave of burning gases that shot out after the ash cloud had settled. These were their houses that we were seeing. Every time we went out we could see the active volcano in the distance--waiting to erupt again.

We spent another day in beautiful Sorrento and the following day took the train back to Sorrento and then caught a bus to Positano, a quaint little town stacked on the oceanside mountain slopes. The bus ride was another white knuckler, sssssing it's way along the coast for a 9km drive that took over 45 minutes. The driver stopped at the top edge of the town and said "Positano", and even with further questioning, just pointed down the hill (we found out after some exploring that we could have been dropped off a 5 minutes walk from the beach access).

We meandered part way down the steep slopes until Esther remembered Gail Sager's words about must having a Proseccio Sparkling Wine...so we stopped at a beautiful small boutique hotel that had tables and chairs across the road. We sat on the edge of the steep slope that made its way quickly to the ocean. The girl working at the restaurant gave us much valuable information about the town, especially where to catch the bus back to Sorrento without having to walk all the way back up to where the driver had dropped us off and a short cut stairway that cut our time to the center of town and the beach.

We had a dinner overlooking the sea but then had to scramble to get back to the bus stop for our return trip to Naples before dark---well.....we stood on the side of a narrow lane that was the highway with 30 other worn out tourists all aching to clamber onto the bus--we could see that the bus was full and yet they packed 20 more on--standing in the aisles and on the steps. We waited another 25 minutes and only 8 of us got on-- gripping the aisles for dear life we snaked our way back to Sorrento--gosh were we glad to be back on the dirty and loud train back to scary Naples. Esther took off her jewelry and disguised her purchase so that no one would be enticed to rob us at 8:30 pm.

The next day we left Naples by train again to catch a plane from Rome to Athens. What wonders and smiles lay ahead?


Greece- back in time

2013-05-11

We flew from Rome to Athens in 2 hours and saw below us the green-blue Aegean Sea, dry mountainous slopes and sparkling white Mediterranean buildings.

We knew there was a new metro built for the 2004 Olympics so looked forward to using it. However, when we looked up at the monitors we saw the words--on strike-they were not working from the airport to downtown but were working around downtown-ah, yes, the famous strikes of Greece. Okay, plan B--the bus. Luckily a bus was waiting outside and we thought of the 1 hour ride as a free tour through the streets of Athens.

We transferred to the cleanest, newest, most empty metro (subway, tube, underground) we had ever seen. We met a lovely couple who were both professors and showed us how to use the metro map. We are really impressed by the friendliness of the Greek people.

Our hotel, Diethnes, is close by the metro, trains and a huge grocery store. We were embraced by the super-enthusiastic Helen, a Phillipino woman who married a Greek, and who took care of our every need--tour info, metro times, food, restaurants etc. We hadn't realized that Easter (GreekOrthodox) weekend was coming in 2 days and most things would close down. So off we went to buy groceries for our fridge. It was a learning curve to read the Greek words but again, we were helped by some many wonderful staff--especially the cashier--she was a hoot. We bought a whole roasted chicken like the ones from Safeway and had a lovely salad with tzatziki and pita bread.

But the heat was on (around 30C) and the aircon was not working. It was a hot, hot evening and night where we hoped for any breeze to come through our window--the night time temps only fell to 19 C but that was better. The aircon was fixed the next day and we have had a cooler room for the last 3 days. Athens is hot and the paved streets feel like they are cooking you--we look for any shade and I have my umbrella when we need it.

We have CNN again and local news and noticed that they were showing a Greek protest with police in riot gear. And it looked like it was right where we were 1/2 an hour before--and it was! The next day as we left our hotel to go to the grocery store one block away, we saw more riot police, vans, and a cordoned off area--gosh--you just never know what will happen. I actually felt way more safe here than Naples--just so few people and lots of police.

The Acropolis! The Parthenon! Wow! Our first glimpse from way below was surreal. It looked like a palace, a fortress on top of a mountain--touching the sky. We decided to go to the new and modern Acropolis Museum first so we could learn more history before we went up. This museum is fascinating--it is an architectural wonder because it was built over an archeological active site and some of the floors are glass and so you can view look down between your feet to the dig below- a little vertigo crept up on us. The museum holds some of the actual statues, friezes, tools, and earthenware found on the Acropolis. From the museum windows you can clearly see the Parthenon--you keep saying ooh and ahh--as you see in the models and displays-how the Parthenon was in its glory--a temple to Athena. Before the Parthenon was built, the Acropolis (7.4 acres) was used by many civilizations as a city centre because of its advantageous military position high above the lowlands around it.

Due to Easter, the Acropolis had shorter hours. We walked up the long winding lane the next day when it opened and saw the long, long lines of tourists. We noticed all the tourists scrambling up a marble hill so up we went--it was the famous "Mars Hill" where Paul the Apostle preached to the "Men of Athens" about all their altars, statues and temples to so many gods. As we were standing there a man read out loud to his companions, the speech Paul made recorded in the Bible. Esther found it quite moving and said she could feel a sense of holiness up on the Acropolis--remember it was Easter and the bells were ringing all around too.

We decided to tour the Ancient Agora first, the city core of Athens, which runs from the floor of the valley up part of the slopes of the Acropolis. We had our handy, dandy Rick Steves audioguide (are you sick of me saying that?) and could really understand what these fields of broken statues and pillars were at one time--theatres, courts, stores, temples and fountains--and that men like Socrates, Plato and Sophocles sat and argued and philosophized on this very pot. We have tried to read at least one book connected to every country we have visited (for Italy it was Somerset Maugham's "The Villa") and for Greece we started with Plato's "The Symposium".

Now it was time for the Acropolis and the Parthenon--no lines now at 3 pm and we climbed up the marble stairs to the heavens. The view from the Acropolis was breathtaking--all the way out to the sea and to the mountains where the marble columns actually came from. We listened to the commentary as we slipped and slid over some of the ice-like marble walkways--made smooth by the millions of feet over the many years.

The Parthenon is being reinforced so the crane in the centre and all the scaffolding on one side does limit your view of the west end. You just couldn't fathom how big it is until one tour group let a few of their tourists under the ropes to touch the columns---they were blind and were allowed to feel the marble. Then you could really see the magnificence of it all--their bodies were like ants crawling over it.

Ed had read that once a year, the entire Greek city of Athens would march up from the lowly Agora, up the trail we went on, to the Parthenon with their offerings and special provisions in horse-pulled wagons to dance and worship on the mountain. Every 4 years they would present the goddess statue of Athena with a 40 foot woven robe said to be hoisted like the sail of a ship on a wheeled machine that was pulled to the top by oxen.

Next stop-- Aegina Island , 20 km from Athens -a 1 hour and 20 minute ferry ride (hey almost like going to Vancouver from our island). One week of pure paradise (we hope).


Agia Marina

2013-05-18

We left the hot and dusty city of Athens and headed to the island of Aegina, to find our little cove of Agia Marina.

Sometimes we are amazed at our timing for we hop off one metro train to catch the next bus which is just leaving to find our ferry departing in a few minutes. We settled into our chairs on the outside deck of a ferry half the size of the new BC ferries. I pretended it was our cruise ship and we sailed into the Aegean Sea. It was a gorgeous day and we sat in the shade with the seabreeze cooling us. But if I stuck my toes out into the sunshine I felt like they were being fried like bacon (sizzle!).

Again we got off the ferry and there was our bus. The big old bus drove along narrow winding lanes lined with stone walls and olive groves- our bus driver barely had any fingers on the steering wheel or gear shift as he tried to smoke his cigarette.

Smoking is the favorite pastime here and the stink and smoke is in every shop, doorway, restaurant, beach, even non-smoking hotel rooms (they smoke outside the window or on the balcony). As you can tell it bugs me a lot-- I make my opinion known with words, looks, or by finally giving up and moving away. I cannot stand the smoke blowing in my face or around my table as I eat!! (Have I ranted enough?)

We got dropped off on the main street and our hotel was half a block way-- Angela Hotel. Angela's daughter took care of us with her warm smile and good English. We loved our spacious room with the best mattress we have had in 2 months. Our hotel had a cafe a block away with a wonderful pool- very clean and refreshing when it was hot, not as inviting when when it was overcast and breezy.

It became part of our daily routine: breakfast at the hotel (included-Angela loved to bake and made sweets and feta savouries for the buffet), a long walk up and around the town then down to the main pier and then the beach. Esther would then head off for a jog along the beach and I would continue walking. She would get at least 15 minutes jogging and then we would meet up and complete the circle back to the hotel. Then it was off to the pool for Esther to do many laps

We rented a motor bike over 2 days and almost toured the whole island like two wild and crazy kids without a map. When you rise from the sea up the switchbacks and roller-coaster over peak after peak following the coast line, the views are spectacular but sometimes unnerving as the narrow shoulders drop quickly down the steep slopes- no guard rails here to give at least a little comfort.

We pulled over to view a gorgeous place that our bus stopped at on the way to Agia Marina. We assumed it was a hotel but it turns out is a new monastery. It is named after a priest who performed miracles at this spot and is Greece's most recent Orthodox Saint. The nuns there provide 1 night's lodging for people who come with problems with which they would like Saint Agios Nektarios's help. They do not accept money. If you come from a long way off, you can stay longer.

We had the best chicken souvlaki we have ever had-- the charming owner would not tell us his secret but said "I saved the soft, best pieces for you." We also had the worst octopus-- imagine eating rubber rings from canning jars!

We fell in love with the very quiet Agia Marina--you had to look past the boarded up cafes and hotels (due to the recession), the overflowing city garbage bins (due to another strike we think), the abandoned building projects sprayed with graffiti and SEE the simple life, the kind people who would always light up when we would say "Yasas" (hello), the gorgeous bougainvillea, the green pistachio groves and the ocean dotted with fishing boats, ferries and yachts. We also fell in love with Angela and her daughter. They treated us with such kindness and TLC. They even heated our leftovers from a restaurant lunch as we dined in our room. Angela even gave Esther a present on the morning we left- a lovely Greek tile- as a momentous. She said we were "Good People".


Nafplio

2013-05-19

Whenever we mentioned to the locals that lived in Athens or the Greek Islands that we were going to Nafplio they would light up and say "Oh, beautiful place, pretty city, the best!"

We caught a bus (yes, another one, so cheap and because of all these mountains, there are few trains) that passed through Corinth. We glimpsed the magnificent canal which connects two seas and making a technical island out of the Peloponesian Peninsula. They carved sheer rock 300 feet down--wow.

We snaked our way through the greenest valleys we had seen here-- and then -what's that-- a fortress with monumental walls on top of that mountain! And there is one too! We then passed through a pretty city called Argos and reached our bus station in the main plaza of Nafplio. And up, up, up was the Palimidi Castle. Were we going to be able to tour it??

We knew our hotel was on top of hill with a road as steep as Kandy (that's where the budget hotels seem to be-- Ed always tells me he can walk it so book it ) so we took a taxi because of our bags. And guess what our view was breathtaking-- the ocean, the city and the castle all before us--fantastic!

We have a very large motel-like room with 2 beds, terrace, kitchenette and bathroom. We are next to the office so there has been more noise than we are used to but we were lucky and got an English channel-CNN-so we just turned it up when necessary. We have a dog who barks at night for hours who tormented us for the first 2-3 days but then maybe the owner came home for it has been way better for the last 4 days. I was a wheeeeee bit cranky with little sleep 1 night so poor Eddie had a bit of a rough day (sorry again, Honey ).

Nafplio was conquered by the Venetians and so the architecture was greatly influenced by it. There are picturesque lanes with beautiful buildings adorned with delicate wrought-iron balconies. And the flowers--gosh !! Red, pink and purple bougainvillea vines as tall as 2-3 stories caress us as we walk beneath them. Sidewalk cafes with colorful umbrellas and cushioned seats invite you to sit and enjoy the beauty of each street and plaza. They have a wonderful walkway which hugs the bay and we stroll along watching the ships and sun set on this historical land.

Ed said he was up to it so we felt like explorers as we hiked around the Palamidi Fortress (1700's). For 2 hours we saw few tourists and crawled around the bastions, stone staircases, the prison (a windowless stone room), and tunneled walls with sheer cliffs scaring us to reality. I really wanted to walk the 999 steps down the mountain and off we went-- boy did my calves ache for days but Ed was completely fine. There are 2 other castles here but it is the one on a tiny island in the bay that is so cool--

Next my dream came true about seeing Epidauros (or Epidavros). This was an ancient centre for healing with baths and treatments areas, a gymnasium, athletic field, temples and of course THE BEST ACOUSTICAL

THEATRE of the ancient world (and best preserved theater in Greece--built 2500 years ago ). Kerry had been here and I had seen her photos but I was blown away. I climbed the tiers twice (what a work out-- at first it held 6000 and then, under the Romans expanded to 15, 000 seats) and generally communed with the Greek drama spirits. Tour groups came and went, each standing on the orchestra (no, not on people playing instruments- the circle where the actor or orator stands) to sing a phrase, speak a line, or clap for the audience. Every summer they hold performances here. Famous people like opera singer Maria Callas performed here in the 60's and my favorite Helen Mirren acted here in 2004 in a Greek tragedy.

Another highlight for me was the athletic field (I call it my Olympic field). It was fun to pretend to be in a race.

On Ed's list was Mycenae -- the capital where the people lived who dominated Greece for 1000 years before the Acropolis and who won the Trojan War (remember that horse?). The colossal rocks in the walls were supposedly carried by the race of giants called Cyclopes. The beehive tombs were awe-inspiring--like huge stone igloos.

This is also where the famous archeaologist Schliemann discovered the golden "Mask of Agamemnon" in 1874 which we saw in Athens.

And the most exciting of all...it turned out that in honour of National Museum Day (May 18th) we got in for free (Euros 18)

Ed and I both needed haircuts so off we went. I felt like a girl again as I relaxed in their delightful massage chair as she washed my hair in this lovely salon. The stylist cut off 3 inches and put in some layers. The assistant was wild as she used 4 brushes to style my hair without hairspray-- just the blow dryer. I love my new look. Ed found a barber shop and the young guy buzzed and snipped my husband-- so neat and feels great when I run my hands through it.

We didn't get to Olympia or Delphi on this trip but we will always keep it on our wish list.


Berlin--beyond the wall

2013-05-21 to 2013-05-24

From 33 degrees in Athens to 14 degrees in Berlin--wow--that's what travelling is all about. We sure like Aegean Airlines for their efficient and comfortable service (Rome to Athens and Athens to Berlin.) We hopped on a bus for a 10 min ride to our Hotel Baerlin. In the lobby there is a big blowup photo of John F. Kennedy's visit in 1963 and his car passes right in front of this hotel. We have a large room with cozy duvets and a hot, hot shower so we are happy. Sure there is the noise of traffic and planes ( airplanes glide right over the trees in front of us because we are so close to the airport) but we found a great cafe around the corner so we don't mind. We had read that the cheap food in Berlin is Turkish food and in this cafe they grill chickens as well--fantastic!!so moist--and super cheap at 5 Euros for a half-chicken meal with salad and rice/fries/or pasta. Ed is soooooo happy.

What have we seen? We arrived at 10:30 am and our room was naturally not ready. We were tired from our 4:30 am wakeup call but excited to be in this historic city. We headed for the S-Bahn and U-Bahn (Fast train and Underground) and made our way to the Checkpoint Charlie area of what used to be East Berlin.

It was so moving to be here now 33 years later. I was 16 when I went on a German Exchange program to finish my grade 11 in Hamburg. While there, many of the Manitoban students went on a 1 week trip to Berlin with a supervisor. We travelled by train through East Germany, through checkpoints with soldiers with machine guns and dogs, to West Berlin. It has changed so much. With the wall gone and capitalism here, every building has changed. They have left rows of bricks in the paved streets to show where the wall once stood. The gray, crumbling and boarded up buildings of East Berlin are all gone--now there are Starbucks and souvenir stores in the rebuilt office and apartment complexes. It is now very cool to live in the East Berlin neighbourhoods.

Huge billboards line Friedrichstrasse which outline the history of the conflict within Berlin. I had heard that actors were hired to man the rebuilt building of Checkpoint Charlie (called that because there were 2 other checkpoints-Alpha and Bravo) but we saw police tape, police cars and vans, real polizei--what was happening?? I asked a reporter with her cameraman and she said there was a possible bomb in a briefcase left near the Checkpoint Charlie Museum (the museum which tells the stories of East Germans who escaped through the wall or died trying).

We couldn't go into the museum that day so we went to an artistic project called "The Wall" where the artists documented their life living near the West Berlin side of the wall in the 1980's . Everyday they looked at the imprisoned people and world of communism. The scenes and stories of the 30 foot high panorama focus on the people of the West living their ordinary lives as the border guards in their watchtowers look across the death zone at them. When the wall came down in 1989, at first the Berliners tore at it, smashing it as fast as they could--but then some realized that this was history--some wanted to preserve some part of it as a memorial while others wanted to make money from it--some kept parts to sell--even our son Jason in Port Alberni got a piece from a German exchange student.

Ed and I began to wane in our energy so we absolutely splurged and got tickets for a hop on/hop off tour bus. For 2 hours we learned about the history of the streets, palaces, platzes, museums, seeing the top 20 sights--getting an idea of the lay of the land. We were impressed by all the wild architecture in Berlin--from futuristic geometric forms to undulating sculptures. Then we saw the majestic Brandenburg Gate, it's architecture based on the entrance to the Parthenon. Nearby sits the Reichstag (parliament) with its glass dome on top --you can walk inside the dome and look down below--a feature which makes the statement that the politicians should never be above the common man.

The next day we headed back to the Brandenburg Gate (there were 18 gates in all--Napoleon rode through it on his horse, Kennedy visited it in 1963, Reagan said here "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall." In 1989 more than 100,000 Germans poured through it as the wall fell. We zipped around the city on our all day pass, beginning to understand the subway system.

Our next destination was another of my favourites from 1980, the Kaiser-Wilhelm Church. I remember walking from the rugged but glorious remains of the church bombed in 1943 to the 1961 modern circular blue glassed hall of worship. I remember the open air ruins-- now scaffolding envelopes the old church--Ed saw only a small nave of it. We went into the modern blue-glassed church and organ music filled the sacred space. How fantastic! We sat in the pews and took in this sanctuary--an anti-war memorial. That is the message we see and feel everywhere--never again should freedom be taken away. Never again should war destroy and separate people.

We found an old-fashioned beer parlor on Kurfurstendamm and had pork and veal schnitzel. To our dismay they were very dry but we enjoyed the potatoes and carrots. Where was our "Little Bavaria?"

We ended the day with a return to Checkpoint Charlie area for the museum. We could have spent even more hours reading so much about the bravery and creativity of the East German citizens desperate to be free. We saw the actual cars, suitcases, construction machines that had been modified to fit the escapees. We saw the homemade ladders, motorized gliders and tunnels that allowed so many to reach freedom.

Tomorrow we will go to Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp and Memorial one hour outside of Berlin.


Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp.

2013-05-23

Sachsenhausen

Ed and I felt that we really wanted to learn more about the plight of the Jews and other victims of Nazi terror. Around an hour outside of Berlin is the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp, Museum and Memorial.

We took 2 trains and walked through the pretty town of Oranienburg for 15 minutes to get to the memorial. We had wanted to join a tour but only one is Spanish was available. We rented the headsets and started walking up the long road to the main gate-- this was known as the "death march." More than 200,000 people were imprisoned here from 1936 to 1945. The prison wall was on one side with grey towers and a barb wire fence with electric lines on top kept us trapped on the other side (now the special police branches use the neighbouring property for special police force training. Isn't that spooky?

This concentration camp was used as a model for all other camps in Germany. The camp formed a triangle where every barrack could be seen by Tower A. As you enter the gate you see the absolute Nazi power in the imposing Tower A-- and the iron grill with the infamous words "Arbeit Macht Frei." Here political prisoners (including conscientious objectors and resistance fighters) stood for endless hours being counted and recounted, interrogated, humiliated and tortured. But soon others joined them, those that the Nazi regime deemed "inferior:" Jews, Jehovah Witnesses, homosexuals, prisoners from other countries. Tens of thousands died of forced labour, starvation, torture and disease. Prisoners in the punishment squad had to march around a track for hours and hours to test different materiasl for the soles of Nazi army boots. Other prisoners were chosen as subjects of medical crimes- human experiments. Some female prisoners were chosen as prostitutes for the camp brothel. And others were chosen as waiters and cooks for the select Nazi officers special dinners and dances.

When the Nazis captured troops of Soviet soldiers, rather than taking care of them as prisoners, they organized a massive murder program--they built building "Z" with special rooms and trenches to shoot the prisoners -- but when bullets became scarce they built special rooms to gas them. Then they were cremated. The healthier prisoners actually lifted their comrades bodies into the incinerators.

Then after the war, from 1945-1950, the Soviet secret police used the same camp against the Nazis. It also imprisoned political undesirables. When the camp closed in 1950, 60,000 people had been incarcerated--12,000 had died.

Ed felt that being in Sachsenhausen and Berlin had brought back a flood of memories --he remembers watching the Walter Kronkite news reports and seeing the wall being built and hearing of daring escapes. East versus West. Communism versus Democracy. He remembers the Cuban Missile crisis and how close we came to WW3. While he was safely tucked away in Canada, he feels the news brought the crisis into his world--he will never forget seeing the Soviet tanks point their guns at the Americans at the wall.

We are now off to see my good friend of almost 50 years--Johanna in Bischofswerda --one hour from Dresden.


Friends for 50 years (nearly)!

2013-05-24 to 2013-06-04

We took the bus from Berlin to Dresden. One cute story--on the bus was a family with a 1 1/2 year old little girl who saw Ed and out popped the word "Opa." It was so cute at first, but after one hour, it was a little tiring.

In Dresden I knew that only one short train away was my lifelong friend--Johanna. We were born in the same hospital in Steinbach only 2 weeks apart. So we have known each other for almost 50 years. She moved to Germany, married, had 3 wonderful children and divorced. She works as an English Language instructor and as a translator. She grew up speaking German and also studied it in University.

She lives in a delightful town called Bischofswerda (around 10,000 like Steinbach) in an early 1800's stone house with attached barn. Her yard is filled with gorgeous pink, white and purple flowers and she is 2 minutes away from the expanse of rolling green and yellow fields. We enjoyed two restaurants on her road (one Alsatian where the owner loves everything lavendar and one German--white asparagus was everywhere and we ate it eagerly).

We enjoyed touring the fabulous countryside with its charming vistas of pointy church spires, winding roads, red tiled homes, aristocratic castles and mountains in the distance. She lives 25 minutes away from the medieval city of Bautzen (41,000) near the Polish border (I was so close to jumping on a bus for a 2 hour trip to Prague-Katherine's relatives live there).

This walled city is known for its many fantastic towers from the Middle Ages. Before Johanna had moved to Bautzen, she had been told --what? you are going to be living in an East German city with 2 notorious prisons? We toured one of them (as the other called "Yellow Misery" is still being used) and you could still smell death and torture. I sat in one of the cells and needed to get out of this eerie place of despair. The grey metal walkways rose up and up--4 stories--the guards could watch everyone like frightened rats in a maze. From there we travelled to the ultra modern shopping centre to buy a great card game her children taught us- Halli - Galli.

Her lovely daughter Marie, age 17, kindly volunteered to be our tour guide for an afternoon in Dresden. I had met her when she was around 9 months old when I visited Johanna in Germany 16 years ago. I remember her crawling around the apartment following me wherever I went. Oh what a treasure!

We splurged and took the hop on hop off bus again to learn about the history of this renowned city--bombed at the end of the war in 1945. It was not a military base nor did it have many munitions factories or other war facilities, but it was devastated by the Allies--a very controversial decision still to this day. The East Germans rebuilt it and it's once again a tribute to culture, art, music and beauty. We saw the Semper Opera House, the Frauenkirche, the Royal Palace, the Bruhl Terrace, the Hofkirche, some were near the Theaterplatz and some along the Elbe. We wanted to stop at the ultra-modern VW factory for a cool tour but didn't have the time.

Johanna insisted we take in the Old Masters Gallery at the Zwinger Palace, and we got to see Raphael's "Sistine Madonna"--known for the sweet but pondering angels on the bottom of the massive painting. I loved the robust women of Ruben's--never on a diet-- and the Tower of Babel by Bruegal with its message that pride will be punished and the power of God over man.

The weather challenged us as it was cold and rainy for most of the week. Flooding started and by the time we left it was severe in many lowland areas near the riverbanks. Johanna was driving us to the train station and was worried that we might have to take detours. Our luck held out and we made it with 8 minutes to spare. We are very grateful to Johanna, her family and friends for such a warm welcome to Germany.

Off to Paris!


Paris...oh la la

2013-06-01 to 2013-06-06

I was filled with anticipation at the thought of being in Paris! Ed and I were really going to be in the city of lights! The city for lovers!

Now to conquer the Metro. You can zip around Paris with a Metro/bus pass. But with the Paris Metro we learned about all the stairs, the endless tunnels and crisscrossing passageways. It was an underground city! And when you emerged from the depressing darkness there above you was the reward-- the beauty of Paris. We were charmed by every street lamp, quaint garden, corner cafe and beautiful building.

We started with Rick Steve's walking tour of the Ile de la Cite- a small island on the Seine in the center of Paris. There ahead of us was the Concergerie where Marie Antoniette was imprisoned and beheaded. Notre Dame was 2 blocks away in all its magnificence. This was marked as the centre point of France from where all distances were measured in medieval times. The gargoyle drain spouts on the church looked like they were watching you and might attack. We enjoyed strolling through the gardens around it watching the local children play and lovers embrace on the romantic benches.

Nearby was a memorial to all the those who were deported to concentration camps during the Nazi occupation of Paris and lost forever. From this sad spot you are 10 steps from a bridge whose metal scrolled panels were covered in padlocks of all sizes-- lovers names scratched into them- a tribute to the power of love in the world.

On my list was to walk beside the Seine on the left bank where booksellers have been doing their trade for hundreds of years. Little wooden stalls clamp onto the riverbank wall offering classics, antique books and recent novels in French, of course. Most were only 3-5 Euros.

It was time for dinner so we saw a sweet cafe near the Latin Quarter with a set menu for a good price. Most waiters here are men who make a decent living and are consummate professionals. He complimented me on my choice (beef bourguignon) and with a flair offered me a dish of hot dijon mustard to make the "boeuf superb"! It was "delicieux" but, of course, not as good as my sister Bev's or Richard/Sylvia's.

The next day we headed out for the Eiffel Tour. One of our hotel staff, a very handsome young man, (oh la la) suggested we take the metro to the Trocadero stop to fully appreciate the tower. Wow, was he right! The Eiffel tower caught my breath and I grabbed Ed's arm. The stop is below a magnificent u-shaped Maritime Museum. As you walk towards the tower you are passing fountains and gardens and sculptures. Your neck keeps craning up and up to take in Monsieur Eiffel's genius. It seems surreal to actually be in front of this famous monument to engineering.

You can walk up the never-ending steps to the 3 levels of platforms with restaurants and shops or take the elevators (Eiffel even had an apartment at the very top with a baby grand piano). We opted to just view it from the ground on this trip. We saw it several times throughout the week and it seemed to change colour with the setting of the sun---from green grey to bronze beige to a golden rose. Mr. Eiffel's design won the contest for the 1889 World's Fair. When it was built the French hated it. The government reneged on their promise to finance it and so Eiffel charged the patrons to go up it. They said it would never make any money but Mr. Eiffel recouped his losses within 9 months. The French who hated it now claimed it as their own. It was 1000 feet tall -- 3 x higher than anything the Americans had built. It was to be taken down after 20 years but Eiffel made it indispensable by using it for weather observations and scientific experiments. It was the radio that saved the tower. Eiffel put a beacon on it and it was said to have been used to intercept WW2 radio messages from the Nazis. Now how could the world live without this iconic symbol. We saw it sparkle in its hourly nighttime light show. Magnifique!

To the Arc de Triomphe-- another incredible piece of architecture. It was commissioned by Napoleon in 1806. Dedicated to all those who died in the Napoleonic War and in the French Revolution. It is absolutely breathtaking to look down the Champs-Élysées and see the Arc at one end, to take in this long and grand manicured boulevard and see the 3000 year old Obelisk at the other end (a gift from Egypt to the King of France). I'll sigh again and say wow.

The Louvre was calling us the next day. I remember when Diane Best was there and Kerry--never did I really believe that we would get there. It was the Royal Palace of many including King Louis XIV and Napoleon. We used the Rick Steve's tour which was around 2 hours for the world's largest museum. Seeing pieces from the Parthenon there was strange. Venus de Milo was beautiful. But we knew we were making our way to Da Vinci's Mona Lisa. Ed says he couldn't believe he was in front of the most famous painting in the world--of course crammed up beside 200 others and all round us were signs--watch out for pickpockets! In front of Mona?! They actually closed the Louvre a few days after we were there because the staff were sick and tired of all the organized gangs of pickpockets.

Ed enjoyed the wing with the objects from royal palace life--- especially the jeweled crown. Ed thought it very interesting when Napolean had his painter David, in his "Coronation of Napolean", change the actual events and had Napoleon crown himself (and not the Pope). These egotistical emperors! Typical males.

The modern pyramid feature of palace sure is dynamic. It cuts through history to say,yes the past is important, but look out future, here I come.

I have had a passion for Rodin ever since I had read the true historical story of the "Burghers of Calais", had taught the play version to my drama classes and saw how Rodin interpreted it in sculpture form. It was during the hundred years war--- The French city of Calais was under siege and the English King said he would spare the city if 6 of the most important city leaders would surrender to his power. In the play version I have the students argue as to who should live and who should die. We went to the museum Rodin created before his death--in the hotel he lived in -- there were many of his studio plaster casts and original works as well as drawings and watercolours of his I had never seen. In his gardens were several of his sculptures including the Burghers, the Thinker and the Gates of Hell.

Ed really wanted to see Napoleon's Tomb. It was an incredible spectacle. Inside an ornate chapel was his sarcophagus enclosed within several coffins like Russian dolls. It was at least 30 feet long and 40 feet high--quite huge for such a small man.

A dream of ours was to take a boat trip down the Seine to see the city of lights at night. But we are so used to going to bed early with our books that we knew it would be hard to stay up until midnight (that darn sun wasn't even setting until 10 pm). So we slept in, did laundry at the laundromat, went to the grocery store-- then went out at 4 pm.

Before the cruise on the canal, we went to see the breathtaking "Water Lilies" of Monet at L' Orangerie Museum -- it took Monet two years to paint these immense landscapes which took up 4 panels each in 2 separate rooms. I also revelled in Renoir's paintings of family life like girls at the piano. He just makes you want to see the good and beauty in everyday life.

We caught the 9:30 pm cruise just below the Eiffel Tower and it was a fantastic and memorable ride. There were thousands of people on the riverbanks, lounging, drinking, even having late supper picnics. The sunset made the surroundings glow and we learned more about the many bridges, buildings, and boulevards of Paris through the English narration. At 11 pm the Eiffel tower went into its sparkling light show. Intricate patterns dazzled us for 10 minutes at a super speed.

The Basilica of Sacre Coeur and the Orsay Museum were two items left on our list of what to see in Paris. I had wanted to go to the Montmartre district because many famous artists and writers have lived there including Picasso. We ate crepes at a diner at the bottom of a steep street in the Montmartre district. The street led to the hill on which the gleaming white dome of the Basilica rests. With our metro pass we got on the funicular (train) for free in order to avoid some of the steep steps to the Basilica. And the view from the top was wonderful-- they said that this view is better than the Eiffel for from the tower you see only Paris from the top like a map. From the Basilica we saw the streets and buildings of Paris rise and fall like a flowing sea of golden white.

To the Orsay Museum for our last look at Renoir, Monet, Cezanne, Van Gogh, Degas and Matisse. We spent most of our time in the Impressionist wing. The museum was created inside a train station from the 1900's and the views from the balconies were magical. I kept wondering if we were going to see some of the vistas Van Gogh painted on our one week in the Loire Valley. Mom, we did the see the original "Gleaners" by Millet. It was lovely and reminded me of home on the prairies.

We left Paris knowing that we had done it well for one week. And we knew we would be back. Paris had captured our hearts.


Caen, Normandy//Remembering WWII

2013-06-09 to 2013-06-10

We took the train from Paris to Normandy to learn more about WWII through touring the D-Day sites. We got a hotel in the quaint city Caen where William the Conquerer lived in a castle and fortress.

Our room was tiny (the bathroom felt as small as an airplane toilet-just add a claustrophobic shower to it) but the hotel was quiet, we got BBC, we had hot water and one okay bed to cuddle up in. The big plus was the wonderful chef who prepared some of the best food we had had in France (like mussels in white wine, creme caramel, a croque madam oozing with cheese and an egg on top). The service was great too. We had been watching the French Open Tennis tournament in the room but had to go down for the dinner service--while we were in the restaurant we wanted to see who was winning so asked if we could go up to the room, watch and come down for our set menu dessert. Well, we were watching in the room when suddenly there was a knock on the door and there was our waiter with our desserts on a tray! How fabulous!

Our hotel was just a short walk from the famous Caen Memorial Museum. We spent 5 hours learning more about the events that led up to WW2, the separate missions, the results, and the message that war was catastrophic to people and nature.

Our hotel kindly gave us a discount coupon so we booked a 5 hour tour of a few of the D-Day sights. It was a miserable day and we were glad for the warmth of the van. We were a nice group of 4 Canadians and 2 Australians. We went to the Omaha and Utah beaches, saw German bunkers, the American cemetery and Pointe De Hoc. While we were at Utah beach an old war plane came flying down the coast. It passed right over head. Our tour guide said she ordered that for us. It was a poignant moment--to see the bunkers, the barbed wire fences, the shelled landscape and a real war plane---but to know that we were now living in peace due to the loss of so many soldiers.

Now almost 70 years since D-Day, the Normandy coast is peaceful with lovely seaside towns and picturesque beaches. Behind the coast is a beautiful farming landscape of grain fields, dairy cows and pastures, hedges and farmhouses. But at every bend in the road there are war monuments for there is barely a square yard that wasn't fought over. Even today the French people are very grateful to the Canadian, American and British forces for freeing them from the Nazi reign of terror.


Loving Loire

2013-06-11 to 2013-06-16

From the North Coast of France we headed inland to the Loire Valley. I had tried several times to contact the hotel to get directions to their hotel out in the country but no luck. So we knew this was going to be an adventure. And to add some excitement Ed and I both had had a bout with diarrhea so we were a little under the weather.

We hopped the train to the big city of Tours and headed for the nearest info booth. Ed tried his French but it was a frustrating time of pointing and gesturing until finally another clerk understood us and suggested we buy a train ticket to a tiny village nearby. So we trustingly got on and were deposited. We saw a small bus pull up and politely asked the female driver for directions to downtown to find a taxi. She just pointed and took off--well! We had encountered only 1 other rude French couple so this was quite upsetting. We had been on 2 trains, 1 bus and 1 tram since 10 am and so were a little tired. We trudged down the main street and everything looked like residential or was closed. We walked and walked until we saw another bus driver-- but no luck with the language barrier and who should turn up but the other bus driver. She pointed that we should go back to the train station! Ed asked if she was going back and if we could get a ride but she said she wasn't going there. So we marched back to the station and who should pass us but the same bus driver! We bought another train ticket to another town and got out of this unfriendly place. We were welcomed in Chinon by a lovely train clerk who happily called a taxi for us. Within 20 minutes we were finally at our hotel "La Promenade" in the village of Bourgueil.

Shabby chic! What comes to your mind? From the reviews I knew that the rooms were over a bar/restaurant and were a little spartan and funky. We were met by the cook-- an eccentric female by the name of Do--short for Dorothy. She showed us our room-- 1 bed with a big white duvet, 1 chair, 1 desk, 1 towel and a larger bathroom. It smelled of wood and new paint so that was okay. The large closet had just been redone so we had some small shelves but no hanger bar (1 grey hanger though). The floor creaked and groaned with any movement. I peeked into the other rooms which were vacant and they were smaller than ours. So I knew we had been given the best of the budget rooms. The backyard was filled with old furniture, dusty cushions, weeds and leaves, cat hair--a small pool that hadn't been cleaned in a while, a sculpture made of old wine bottles--shabby chic??

We went downstairs for dinner. The menu was definitely French only with la-di-da pricey appetizers. Our stomachs were still delicate so we tentatively decided on meat kabobs and a sort of a quiche pizza. It was tasty. An English couple at a nearby table entertained us with their travels around France--she a recently retired teacher. They insisted we look at the wine cellar where you pick your own wine and then pay a corkage fee. It was very cool--we wondered what our friend Richard would have picked. We know our friend Paul would have loved living over a bar! Dorothy the cook also entertained us with her wicked sense of humor and limited English. We really wondered what living here would be like. We were exhausted and so headed to bed. But of course the jazzy music which seemed so lovely below started to annoy us upstairs. The bass finally stopped thumping at 11pm.

I had booked a week here in the country to rest, live in a French village and explore the wine country. We found the streets charming, discovered a old Abbey with its own winery, museum and movie theatre (they were showing Fast and Furious 6--isn't that wild? In an Abbey?). We toured the museum and our 12 year old guide rattled away in French and we desperately tried to understand. We settled on a "Mickey's Bar" that featured live horse racing as our lunch experience 3 times that week. It was great fun to watch the men and women, young and old, local and gypsy intermingle over this one common passion. We ate our croque madams (the one with an egg on top) and so enjoyed the drama. We saw that "The Great Gatsby" was playing at the another local theatre and so tried to learn more French by watching it. We got the gist but need to see it again in English when we are back home.

We had cool weather and some rain but we took in a local wine tour with an English guide. We were joined by a lovely group of fit and friendly seniors from England on a 1 week bike tour of the Loire Valley. We loved our walks into the countryside and through the old winding streets of the picturesque village with its gold coloured buildings.

We decided to take in one of the many castles/fortresses in the valley. Many of the royalty in Paris would have summer homes in this gorgeous area rich with farmland, meandering rivers and lofty vistas. Chinon is a charming town with cobbled streets that lead to romantic cafe filled squares. The castle and fortress has been completely rebuilt and had a unique dramatic presentation of its history--narrated movie clips projected onto creative surfaces in different rooms that tell its highlights. Joan of Arc had met the French Royal Court here. The castle must have had another creative event here as we saw many dragon sculptures on the grounds and in the towers.

By the end of the week at La Promenade, Dorothy the cook (also in charge of the hotel while the owners were away) was an old friend. Sure---our room wasn't ever cleaned, we had to get our own towels and sheets, and we cleaned up our own trash. But Dorothy kept making us laugh and treating us to free drinks and appies. We felt we should try some more of her food so we ordered the hamburgueil-- hamburger with foie gras (duck liver). Ed liked the liver-- not my favourite. Another time I thought I was ordering ham and salami but it turned out to all Pâté --too much jelly and spices for me--Ed kindly ate it for me. So we enjoyed her but the food? So so. On her night off I ran into her at the nearby pizza place and she insisted on meeting us back at the closed restaurant and have a last visit. She was an absolute hoot telling us more about her life. She actually has been invited to cook in New York but her children and mother keep her in France.

We always seem to encounter wild weather on our big travelling days-- we had a blizzard the night before we left Winnipeg, a flood the day before we left Johanna's in Germany, and now hail! It was a crazy storm with booming thunder, wicked winds and hail the size of cherries. We wondered how the delicate vines survived the night. But we safely made it --we were on our way back to Paris for the night and then to our last destination abroad -- the United Kingdom.


From Victoria to London...couldn't tell the difference!

2013-06-19 to 2013-07-01

London

A few of our favourite things:

The Shows-Oh, I was born for the West End. I loved the nightlife!!

1. Jersey Boys--wonderful to watch Eddie's face as he sang along with all the songs he knew.

2. War Horse--we loved the book and the movie--and the play was magical--you truly forgot about the puppeteers. Another testament to the bravery and sacrifice war demands.

3. Macbeth--to see Shakespeare's words acted out for us in his rebuilt Globe Theatre was a dream come true. We took a tour of the theatre beforehand and got to see some of the main actors do their warm-ups on stage and discuss staging with the director. Awesome!

4. Wicked--the nosebleed seats could not dampen our spirits as the two female leads sang and acted their way into our hearts. Seeing a British cast with their accents made it different from New York for me but the singing was outstanding--tears came to my eyes at their powerful talent.

5. Big Ben

The Rick Steves walk from the Parliament Buildings and Big Ben to Trafalgar Square. I learned that the tower is not called Big Ben-only the clock inside of it.

6. St. Paul's Cathedral

I did a Rick Steves walk alone along Fleet Street and ended up at St. Paul's Cathedral. The clock struck 5 and it was the Evensong Service--I went in and had a moving experience of being in this sacred place. I also went to the pub where Charles Dickens used to sit and write.

7. Wimbledon--what a meticulously organized event.

We stood in line for 4 1/2 hours but it was worth it--for only 14 pounds each we got to see world class live tennis. I made Ed move his butt from match to match, court to court, to see all the grounds. Then we got to see Djokovic vs. Haas on the big screen at the party lawn of Henman's Hill--now renamed Murray's Mound. A once-in-a -lifetime experience.

8. Churchill Bunker and War Museum.

This was so fascinating to see this underground world (a little claustrophobic) that lasted for 4 years. I didn't know Churchill was such an accomplished painter.

9. The British Museum.

We spent 3 hours doing the highlights with Rick Steves and we were exhausted by the vast knowledge around us. The Rosetta Stone and the stolen statues from the Acropolis were our favourites.

10. Harrods.

What an incredible store--didn't know about the Egyptian escalators--wow!

11. Movie Nostalgia

Notting Hill--Movie sites were calling me. I had to go to see some of the movie sites from Notting Hill with Hugh Grant. I go to see the bookstore (now a shoe store), his blue apartment door and the coffee shop where he spills the orange juice on Julia Roberts. The street really is full of everyday market stalls selling everything from mushrooms for breakfast to antiques. I did also happen upon the building used for the Gringots Bank in Harry Potter. And I stood in the Covent Garden square where Audrey Hepburn was filmed for My Fair Lady.

12. Changing of the Guard

We loved huddling on a traffic island, worried that the extensive police guard would make us move, as the Beefeaters marched past us as they left St. James Palace. We then hopped off and followed them down The Mall to Buckingham Palace.

Off to Stratford Upon Avon for 3 days of country life.

Love to you all,

Esther and Eddie


Shakespeare 's birthplace Upon Avon

2013-07-02

Stratford Upon Avon

We took a wonderful holiday from the big city by spending 3 glorious days in the country. I fell in love with the name of the village outside of Stratford Upon Avon--Clifford Chambers! Our room was part of a quaint pub. It had all the atmosphere of village life--the locals with their dartboards, dogs and Wellies.

I had great fun taking daily walks on the foot path and Shakespeare's Way.

The village had a medieval church complete with knitted cushion covers for the pews, a Clifford Club (where we were told the drinks were much cheaper) and of course the Clifford Manor house at the end of the Main Street.

Stratford was charming and we saw the house where Shakespeare was born. We went on a lovely boat cruise on the Avon after our "As You Like It" performance at the Royal Shakespeare Company. We loved all the narrow colourful house boats on the river.


North to...

2013-07-03 to 2013-07-10

Our next destination was in northern England on the river Tyne. Ed and Lucille had been working on the Clifford family memory album for almost 2 years. Their mother kept so many cards, notes, receipts and letters from her married life. They found letters from a distant relative in Newcastle and the birth certificates of their dad and grandmother from Newsham and Blyth.

We went to the address on the most recent letter from 1961 but no one was home. At a neighbours house a grandmother who was babysitting said she would deliver a message the owner of the house. We have not heard from him so do not know if he was a relative. We went to the seaside community of Blyth to take photos of where Lucille and Ed's dad and grandmother were born and lived before immigrating to Canada. It is a charming area complete with those colourful bathing shacks you see on postcards. We had a wonderful time on a double decker city bus touring along the coast.

In Newcastle Ed took me to see the historic site of where Hadrian's wall began on the shores of the Tyne. This wall was built to keep the wild northern Scottish tribes out of England when it was Roman conquered land.

Edinburgh

We took a day trip to Edinburgh from Newcastle by train to explore the city and meet up with Ed's Great Nephew Cam and his partner Courtney.

They gave us a delightful tour of the city including, of course, the famous Edinburgh Castle, which was set up for the world renowned Military Tattoo at that time. Unfortunately, we could not stay and watch and listen to the marching bagpipes. We wandered around the old city and down part of the Royal Mile to Holyrood Palace. It was then time to hit a pub for lunch. We were so lucky to be in Edinburgh on that Sunday, the last day of Wimbledon 2013, with Djokovic taking on their native son, Andy Murray. It was an experience of a life time to be in a room full of cheering Scotsmen and women. As Paul Richardson said...it would be great...as long as he won! And the rest, as they say, was history. We even had time to tour the Greyfriars Kirkyard, home of Greyfriar Bobby, the little dog who waited by his master's grave for 14 years until he himself died. The story was made into a movie.

Thanks, Cam and Courtney for a fabulous day.


Hockey Pools....no...Blackpool and Liverpool.

2013-07-10 to 2013-07-14

Blackpool

We went to Blackpool because we wanted to have a seaside experience and needed to get closer to the Manchester airport. Our B&B was outstanding--the New Guilderoy is run by Simon and Rhona and treated us like royalty! The full English breakfasts included in the low price were deeeeeelicious! You got to pick any or all of : Stewed fruit, cold meat and cheese, yogurt, cold cereal--and then the hot food of eggs, beans, hash browns, blood pudding, fried mushrooms and toast. Yikes ! They had 23 rooms, a huge breakfast room, lounges and our favourite--the retro styled bar area they called the snug. Simon delighted us with stories -- even telling us about his many world travels. An accomplished cook he prepared a scrumptious chicken curry for us and steak/ale pie.

When we reached Blackpool I wanted to see the ____. My mouth dropped as I saw it was low tide and the beach went out for half a mile. Then I saw all the piers with their amusement rides and attractions. It was a wonderland! We walked and walked and saw all these marshals with signs on the path- --over 2700 women were on their way towards us-- the Blackpool run for cancer. It was a sea of pink, old and young women all united. Ed and I enjoyed the amusement park where Ed became a kid again looking at all the rides. We went on the steeplechase--where life sized horses took you up and down, speeding around corners and over hills. Great fun and we beat another couple! Another day we went to the Blackpool tower which dominates the city. On the third floor is a famous ballroom where tea dances were held every afternoon. We watched the skillful couples do the tango, waltz, quick step, cha cha cha-- all to the music of live organ music. It was hilarious and entertaining-- like a concert . We didn't know all the fancy steps to these ballroom dances but did give it a whirl in a corner. We had afternoon tea with the most gorgeous scones and double cream.

Liverpool

I really wanted to do a Beatles tour of their hometown and so we took the train and went to the Beatles Museum and on the Magical Mystery Tour Bus Ride. I learned sooooooo much. We saw Paul McCartney's humble family home where they wrote over 100 songs. We went into the rebuilt Cavern Club where the band played almost -----__times. I saw the guitar book that George and Paul used to learn to play guitar on their own. I learned that Ringo replaced Pete Best because he was a far better drummer and that he would bring in the girls because he had such style.


Oh Canada our home and native land

2013-07-27

Hello all,

We arrived back in Canada July 15. We were looking forward to 1 month of exploring the East Coast. Ed had never been farther east than London, Ontario so everything was a new place to explore.

We had a great cheap Megabus ride from Toronto to Montreal (6 hours for $27 for 2 tickets!). But we entered an immense heat wave in both cities. The humidity overwhelmed us and we sought air conditioning and indoor events. For our 9th wedding anniversary we went to the Montreal Canadien Museum in the Bell Centre (the new Forum). We also went to the movies--saw the latest "Star Trek" in 3D. The theatre complex was located in the old Forum building that had some great Canadien memorabliia still in it.

We knew our hotel was in the Latin Quarter in Montreal but did not realize where we were until we walked down a block and saw thousands of pink balls strung across the street like Christmas decorations for at least ten blocks. Then saw the names of the many bars and interesting store displays--ahhh- the Gay Village. The many sidewalk cafes allowed for some entertaining people watching. We loved Dunn's Restaurant down the street for their mouthwatering brisket.

Ed had so wanted to see Canada by car so our road trip started as we left Montreal and headed for Ottawa. It was such a luxury to have a car--the freedom to go where ever you wanted. We enjoyed Ottawa for its history, the locks and for family. My nephew Dale and his wife Melinda were our tour guides and we really had a good time together.

Off to Quebec City. We arrived the evening of the Paul McCartney concert. We drove right downtown and saw the thousands heading for the Plains of Abraham. We headed back out to our cheap motel but the instructions were wrong and we got lost. A kind young man led us from the middle of a village back to the highway. Without him we would still be looking. The next day we were back in Quebec City---I really loved the feel of the winding cobblestone streets and French architecture.

Ed had never been to Maine and so we headed down south. We had a hilarious night in a fishing/hunting town of Jackman. We looked at each other and at the motel sign--TAXIDERMIST--MOTEL--was this a good decision? Would Norman from the Bates Motel be lurking? It turned out just fine. We stayed another night farther south and made it to the New Brunswick border area on the third day and heard that rainstorms were on the way. We had some great fish and left Maine with our windshield wipers on full blast. We made it through the St. Stephen border just before it flooded. We heard that they had more rain in one day than they usually get in one month. We made it to the Bay of Fundy and saw Hopewell Rocks at high tide. Plan to see it at low tide tomorrow and walk the ocean flloor.

Love

Ed and Esther


Our last blog

2013-07-28 to 2013-08-12

Good bye New Brunswick--Hello PEI and Nova Scotia

We saw Hopewell Rocks at low tide and saw all the amazing natural formations. We headed east to Moncton and Shediac. The Confederation bridge was another great experience and what an engineering feat!

PEI

I found a cheap cottage at a campground just 500 metres from Cavendish Beach and so we settled in for 3 days of exploring "Anne's land." Our cottage was a little too close to the outdoor pool and all the noise so we moved to a deluxe trailer back in the trees. I got to do my laps in the pool and have a quiet oasis to return to. We were in a farming area and the golden wheat and green potato fields were so beautiful next to the red roads. Ed let me bask in every "Anne of Green Gables" experience--from the historic reproduced home now expanded to include a barn and 2 walks, to Montgomery's homestead --now just a stone foundation-- to the actual musical in Charlottetown.

We toured to the northwest part of the island and even saw the area where Stompin' Tom Connors lived with his grandparents. The sulkies were racing in Summerside and so we had a nice afternoon there. We also feasted on lobster. This prairie girl didn't know that the meat in the claws was way better than that in the tail!

Nova Scotia

We drove to Digby to take in the nearby Port Royal Habitation--a small settlement built by Samuel de Champlain around 1600. The Mi'kmaq people formed a friendship with the French and helped them survive the harsh conditions. We liked all the objects that you could touch from the kitchenware to the forgery tools (it was so cool to feel the furs too) and the reproduced clothing you could put on. The settlement had a wood fence around some of the buildings for protection-it enclosed a kitchen, bakery, quarters, guard room, well, wine cellar, storeroom.

We took in the charm of Lunenburg. The Bluenose II was missing from the harbour because it was in drydock for a re-fit. We enjoyed an amateur show with singing, dancing, and good acting about the history of Lunenburg.

Peggy's Cove was next. I have great memories of this cove from over 35 years ago. All those years ago a flautist filled the air with mystical music. Now it was a bagpiper. Very moving against the wind and waves of the Atlantic.

Some say Peggy's Cove was named after St Margaret's Bay and some say it was named after a tale of a woman rescued from a shipwreck. Six fishermen families started the settlement and some are still there. The incredible boulders all around were left from the Ice Age as glaciers pulled back over the cove. We sat in the white rock zone eating our picnic and taking in the breathtaking scenery. We had been stuck out on the highway for half an hour before as the road in front of the entrance was being paved. The wait was so worth it!

Cape Breton

We had the luxury of the car and decided to take off to Cape Breton to take in the Cabot Trail. We stayed overnight in a gorgeous B&B on the way and felt like a honeymoon couple. We stopped at Baddeck to take in the fantastic Mabel and Alexander Graham Bell Museum. We had no idea that he was such a wild inventor--his creativity went way beyond the magic of the telephone. We had some wind and rain during the 3 days but the views from Cabot Trail were stunning. It was a little nerve-wracking to drive to the top of the highlands and see only a few feet in front of you as the fog crept in all around. We couldn't do any hiking because of the weather but made many stops at the viewpoints called "Lookoffs. " It was a tiring 5 hours on the trail itself but absolutely

memorable. I will never forget the road signs in English and Gaelic.

We loved the Louisbourg Fortress, 30 minutes from Sydney-the costumed interpreters were so entertaining and we got to witness a public trial of a soldier who had stolen a bottle of wine. We enjoyed the great marching pipers and drummers. We had to take a bus to get out there--the site was just ruins from the 1700's and the Federal government re-trained miners to be carpenters and stone masons and they rebuilt the entire fortress. We saw the photos when at times there were 150 ships in the harbour waiting for their precious cod to go to France.

We are now in Halifax and plan to go to the Maritime Museum to learn about the WW1 Explosion and memories of the Titanic disaster. Tomorrow we will go to the Citadel and learn about military life there.

Thanks everyone for coming on this trip around the world with us. We have so appreciated your emails. We fly Halifax to Victoria August 14--plan to stay at Don and Lucille's for a few days while we set up our happy house. We are so looking forward to hugging all our family and friends!

Our last blog,

Love

Esther and Eddie


Trying to set up new blog

2018-08-03

Hi all. I am trying to set up our new blog but all the old diaires, photos, movies and maps keep showing up. I will try to see if I can update it all. 


Fun times in Manitoba with mom and family

2018-08-22 to 2018-08-31

We have had a wonderful visit with my 92 year old mom here in Manitoba. She had some great witty comments such as when I said that I was a little tired of visiting she said—-“Esther even you need to take a rest from talking.” My brothers and sisters pampered us and I even got a visit in with old elementary school friends. 


Camp Arnes Neufeld Family Retreat on Lake Winnipeg

2018-09-01 to 2018-09-03

Ed and I spent the weekend with 35 family members. We took the mattresses off the bunks and made a sweet bed on the floor—we got to share the room with sister Bev and husband Len. Got lots of exercise in with swimming in the pool, playing beach volleyball, pedalling cars, walking and wall climbing. We all did lots of sharing and laughing. 


Santiago, Chile

2018-09-06 to 2018-09-12

Chilly in Chile

We knew it was going to be Spring in South America but the 9 Celsius at 9am in Santiago was a little cool. Luckily the warm welcome of our taxi/tour guide/English speaker Juan Carlo and our cozy nest at Mery Guest House warmed our hearts. We got into our room half a day early at 11 am— unpacked and got groceries. Our first lunch was the famous Chilean Chorillana. Meat over French fries--beef, fried eggs, hot dogs and chicken over fried onions and French fries. Quite delicious! Didn't know Chileans love, love, love their hot dogs. Had leftovers for 2 days--the platters are made for 2 people, 4 or 6. Had to have a nap --but the heaviness of a quilt and 3 wool blankets drove me nuts. By day 3 the temps were up to 22 C so off cam the wool blankets-down to 1 now. 

Our neighbourhood is working class--laundromat and pizza place around the corner. A big grocery store is 2 blocks away--took all my veggies and fruit to the till and the cashier took them al away. I didn't weigh them and get the sticker on the bag. Oh well--did it right the next day. 

Ed here... We have explored our part of the city for the first few days.  First major impression...nobody wears hats.  Hot and sunny afternoons and I felt I was the only one wearing a sombrero  even though it was a classic Canadien's beauty! It seemed over 99.99 % of people would rather show their hairdos...maybe that's why I didn't fully appreciate the gesture.

The second impression was that even the streets were clean and generally  free of trash, the buildings were covered in graffiti.  The more upscale the buildings seemed to help a bit bit, it was everywhere.

On the 9th of September, two days before Santiago's SEPTEMBER ELEVENTH- the day of the coup that overthrew the  Marxist government of Salvador Allende (he committed suicide rather than be captured), Esther decided to go to church on the Plaza Del Armes.  After she had come out we decided to walk to the big fish market for lunch.  Immediately we heard music and chanting  a block up from the square.  It turned out it was a "pre-protest".  We walked up to the barriers blocking our way and it seemed it was a happy group- lots of banners and protest signs and indigenous people in colourful costumes. Esther squeezed around the barriers  to take some pictures.  Then it turned wild, groups of youths, mainly dressed in greys and blacks with hoodies and bandanas covering there faces, started racing passed us.  They began throwing garbage cans at the police, who had moved in behind us, and  knocking over the barriers.  Then they started kicking the metal protection "doors" on the businesses on the street and some started spray painting protest language on the buildings.  Esther seemed totally oblivious to the commotion-it did happen so quickly!- and continued filming the dancers.  I edged over to her and told her it might be a good time to head for the fish market.  We headed down the street against the flow of "parade" until it was only armed police and street cleaners (seemed well organized like they are used to these days.

Kindness of Strangers

​-A young woman at a candy stall taught us how to use the BIP card for the metro/subway. She had learned English while going to school in USA.

-A grocery store clerk kept asking us what we wanted and showed us the right aisle for everything.

-A metro attendant could see we were lost and personally took us to the rig tunnel for our train

- postcard sellers gave us half price because we didn't have the right change

- While waiting in line for the funicular I bonded with a little girl and boy from a family from Venzuela. We played peek a boo and we tried to speak in our broken Spanish--made the half hour wait in line much easier.


On the coast of Chile

2018-09-13 to 2018-09-19

Ed

We decided to stay away from the protests on the anniversary of the 1973 coup on September 11th so learned the ins and outs of the subway system (Metro) and went to its farthest southern connection to the Concho y Toro winery.  Had a lunch and a little wine (of course).  By the time we headed home, it was calm and safe.

Used the Metro again to go to the bus station for Valparaiso.  Very pleasant ride through dry mountainous shrub and rusty soil terrain to get to Paradise Valley.

Esther

Paradise Valley

We are in Valparaiso, Chile on the Pacific Coast. Like San Francisco it is a city of hills(45 hills). We have sure felt every muscle worked. We are ready for Macchu Picchu! But it has been cold—10-13C. We are so glad for the very hot showers here in our oasis of Hostal Juanita Lazo. Juanita has been super duper and we sure appreciated What’sApp. We communicate through google translate and What’sapp. We needed more heat because of the low temps. I was looking for gloves but couldn’t find any with tips—what????? Has texting ruled all? You have to look past the ugly rusting tin siding everywhere, peeling paint and crumbling concrete to see the beauty of the people and this place. We are back to putting the used toilet paper into the wastebasket beside the toilet—like we did in some places in Mexico and South East Asia. Annamaria and Laura -the cleaning staff— have been so sweet but unable to make eggs—we like the white cooked. Oh well. Hey—We just heard the eggman yelling in the streets to buy “huevos.” 

Juanita recommended a restaurant in the centre of town and the owner was Canadian! Hence the Canadien flag for Eddie. She gave us free liqueurs  and got us a cheap Uber home. Next day we met our lovely mini-market owners-Osvaldo and his wife. We have loved saying hello to him and his wife everyday. We get our water (Chile has clean water but a lot of minerals which can cause upset tummies), eggs, bananas, avacadoes, jam and any other treats we want from their store. Often he does not know the prices—hairspray? Laca? It was so dusty you could hardly read it. 

What a wonderful 55th birthday I had. First Ed sang “Happy Birthday” to me in bed. Then our hostel owner Juanita bought cake for breakfast! Then I got a free liquor from our mini market man. We hopped on the bus and had a crazy roller coaster ride. Seeing the cliffs and edges of the streets was wild. Then we walked to the tourist area to go on our first ascensor/funicular. Fabulous art everywhere on the buildings. I wanted to find the graffiti—“We are not hippies—we are happies!” Ended the day with a sweet FaceTime with friends-thanks Richard and Sylvia and Jim and Laura! 

It is Fiesta Patrias-Independence Day of Chile soon —like our July 1st Canada Day so a lot of places are closed. We hope to see dancing. Have seen a lot of briquet barbecues on the streets. And we have seen too many stray dogs and their poop. Always have to watch where you walk. 

Have so enjoyed the ascensores/funiculars.  They seem rickety but are safe. Went to Pablo Neruda’s museum house yesterday. He won the Nobel Peace Prize for Literature. Been reading some of his poetry:”To feel the love of people whom we love is a fire that feeds our life.” “A child who does not play is not a child, but the man who doesn’t play has lost forever the child who lived in him and who he will miss terribly.” Deny me bread, air, light, spring but never your laughter for I would die.” 


On top of the World—Bolivia

2018-09-21 to 2018-09-23

From Chile to Bolivia

We rose at 4 am to get to the Santiago airport for our flight to “El Alto" (The Top of the World)-El Alto is over 4000 metres high—-over 13,000 feet.  Then it was a jaw dropping ride from El Alto down to La Paz—see my video. We asked the taxi driver if he had good brakes as we wound down very slowly—1000 feet down. 

Fast Eddy met us at the airport—the contact of our BandB. Not the Pool Shark Fast Eddy but a smooth talking money maker. He said that a guest had gotten sick and couldn’t be moved so could we stay at a friend’s apartment for the first night. The apartment was on the 10th floor and the elevator was not working well. Ed and I did not feel any signs of altitude sickness but trudging up and down the stairs was difficult. Okay—we would try it for the night—the bed looked good, new white towels. We really didn’t inspect the place. Wifi was working, TVs were up on the wall etc. We were being nice Canadians. We went out for lunch and then back for a nap. Elevator not working again. So what was wrong with the place? Not clean—filthy bathroom and kitchen, no hot water, internet worked only while Eddie was there, new TV’s but still wrapped in plastic, loud noise from streets, drapes did not cover windows, bathroom window had a ragged black garbage bag taped to it, freezing cold. Eddie had promised a heater but none had arrived. I tried to get things ready in the kitchen to fry some eggs and make toast for dinner but the dishes, cupboard, sink and floor were dirty,  The straw that broke the camel’s back was that I could not get the hot water in the shower to work.  We can put up with a lot but we wanted hot water and heat in the apartment. We walked down the street and looked for another hotel. We found one 2 blocks away and packed our bags and left. We think Eddie was using this place to make money on the side. 

Second experience—getting money. I always hate not having enough cash in pocket so I told  Esther we needed to find an ATM right away. We found one right in the middle of the sidewalk.  Technology is great except when it doesn't work!  Things started out wonderfully.  As soon as I entered our card, the instructions were in English.  The currency is called Bolivianos and is about 5 Bovilianos to one Canadian dollar.  I tried to take out 3000 Bs and things seemed to be fine.  You could here the machinery humming like it was counting out the money on its insides.  Then nothing.  My card came out but that was all - receipt, No Money!  Luckily the bank was open and I went in and found someone to help me in English, which is easy since my Spanish so poor by comparisons.  He explained that it could only hand out that much in two different withdrawals.  I tried it again for less and the money flowed out.  We went right back to our room so I could access our online banking and making sure the first withdrawal hadn't gone through. It seemed to have show up as a withdrawal and then a credit.  I did wonder if it was the work of Fast Eddie (No relative by the way).

Third experience—chicken lunch. Saw the words “pollo asado” —roast chicken- in Spanish. Waited in line and saw something we liked on someone else’s tray and pointed that’s what we want. I slapped my leg to tell them we wanted dark meat (thinking of you Geri). Ed understood that they needed a name for the order but I thought something else so said “Canada.” They laughed and laughed. But we got our order and it was delicious. 

Valentine’s Day Sept 21 in Bolivia 

Day for love and friendship. We saw balloon hearts, roses, bouquets, gifts everywhere—was this a normal day in La Paz? We went out for dinner and ate at a lovely Italian restaurant.

Daily Life

I still stare at the women in their bowler hats. Got 1 good photo so far. Also the Young boys wearing balaclavas while shining shoes stand out. Some believe that if they have their photo taken their spirit is taken too. So I ask politely-photo? Some shake their heads no. 

Hard time sleeping-found out it can be 1 symptom of altitude sickness. Was up early for free breakfast and it was all cold. As much sugar as you would like! I had the muesli with warm milk, Reminded me of Germany but didn’t remember that the milk was warm. Cold cereal, crackers, cookies, buns, jam, brown sugar spread, hot chocolate—no black tea for Esther. Glad I could finally use my immersion heater back in the room. Made several cups of good old orange pekoe-not to be had in Bolivia. 

Went to get more money and had our first taste of coca leaves tea. Was super! Tried to find the street markets that sold flowers and food but couldn’t find them in the maze up the hills. Dropped off our laundry and right nearby was “The English Pub.” Couldn’t resist—had lunch and beer. We both needed vegetables so had good Indian veggie curry and chicken pot pie with mash—mashed potatoes. Storms are coming and it poured while we were warm and happy inside the pub.  Had a nap and got our laundry (clothes weighed by the kilo-$10 for all the clothes we own). Tried Bolivian food for dinner—Ed had chicken peanut soup —thought of you Malal—and I had the famous pork sandwich with sauces-green made of mint, cilantro, tarragon, lime and red made of peppers, tomatoes and onion.  

Hot water and showers in La Paz. The shower head is electrical—of course I wanted to adjust it and got zapped! The water is heated through the nozzle —you see the wires overhead. Reminds me of Burma and the White House-remember Paul and Geri. You have to work it gently—you turn it on, very low, then higher until you hear a noise-then stop it. There is no knob for hot water in La Paz—all sinks have 1 tap for cold. How do they clean their dishes? Boil water on the gas stoves? 

Sunday.

We decided to take a walk and find one of the telefericos (cable car).  La Paz has been instituting a whole system of cable car runs around the city to combat the traffic problems, in the beginning, between El Alto and La Paz.  There are already about 6 working now with another 4 supposed to be in operation this year.  The purple run is about a 5 minute walk from our hotel.  The empty  cars are constantly running as final start up is in testing mode.  It could be running in a week or two. Another 4 wil be added in the next two years and you will be able to circle the city making for a great experience in exploring a city and getting a good feeling for  how  everything is laid out.  I'm sorry we will miss out!

We followed our tourist map which does't include all the streets and finally found the Orange Line (Naranja in Spanish) which goes up and over one side of the city to another city on the other side.  Again my poor Spanish had me buy what I thought was return ride.  When we tried to head back for our return trip we had to by another ticket.  I had only purchased a one way.  It is very cheap for a ride- only 3 Bs (about 75 cents)per run- a bus ride costs 5 Bs ($1.00).  They did that deliberately to try and ease the traffic congestion.

The trip was gorgeous.  From up there in the sky It looked like a giant had scooped out a huge bowl from the canyon and let his kids use adobe Lego blocks to nearly fill that bowl.


Copacabana Bolivia and Cusco Peru

2018-09-24 to 2018-10-02

Copacabana—Tourist Paradise or Protest Camp

Got up at 5:30 am to get the taxi to meet the Bolivia Hop bus. Decided to try the Hop On/Hop Off buses—in Bolivia and Peru. Had a fabulous first bus host of Alejandro. But we were stopped outside of Copacabana Bolivia on Lake Titicaca by a tree across the road. It was chopped  down right beside the road. Local residents were protesting and stopped all the buses and vans. We had to walk and after half an hour we were picked up by vans to take us to the beach meeting area.

Ed here. I was fascinated by the ride to Lake Titicaca.  We’re B.C.ers and used to mountains. The Andes have the stark, rocky heights like ours but also reddish Alberta-like rolling hills, except they are massive.  They are obviously softer rock and are deeply gouged by the weather.  Then it is like they have been covered by a velvet blanket of pale green that has molded itself to their exact shape.  The base of  these gigantic mounds  are covered by golden grass that seems to be natural as well as a crop that is used to feed their animals.  Haven’t been able to Google it yet.  Our highway has been just nothched out of the side of them and winds it way around so you can see where you are headed and look back where you’ve been

We had a good break for lunch in Copacabana while others went on tours. I unfortunately felt a little sick and came down with diarrhea. Met a lovely young woman from South Korea-Jiwon. She shared lots of her travel stories and politics. She said that on the bucket list for Koreans is to go to Machu Picchu and the salt flats in Uyuni Bolivia. I asked her about her feelings about Trump and she said  he was crazy. I asked about North Korean leader Kim Jung Un and she said she felt that he was trying to change things for the better—because of his education in England—and that it really was his father and grandfather who led the abuse/starvation of their people. 

I made it to the next stop Puno in Peru. Thank goodness for Immodium and the next day 8 hour bus ride to Cusco went well. We were totally taken care of by apartment manager Vanessa. She got us an old apartment and then a gorgeous new one for us. We tried alpaca meat but unfortunately picked a poor restaurant. My dream of going up Machu Picchu is finally coming true. 

Peru

Ed came down with a bad sinus infection and was not breathing well at night. I got his some medicine from the farmacia, he started salt nasal rinses and hot buttered rum toddys. He was better in 2 days. So we vegged in our gorgeous apartment and watched movies and I got food and brought it in. We loved the chicken restaurant across the street—had chicken soup, chicken quesadillas, roast chicken/salad bar and then pizza. Hilarious watching old movies in English like “Wayne’s World”—-I know Jason I had never watched it before. We got classics like “ Lord of the Rings” and Ed enjoyed watching Simon on “America’s Got Talent.” No news for weeks except on our iPads. We tried CNN Spanish and would look up the stories they talked about. 

Now we are right near the main historic and tourist area. We are in a dumpy place with a nice caretaker—he offered to do our laundry, got me an extra towel, got us a new cable box so we have one English Channel—CNN in English now. It has a kitchenette so we can cook but the bathroom stinks of mould. The shower gives us 1 minute of warm water, then hot water and then ice cold. Oh well. I picked it because it was cheap and close to downtown. There is a great international cafe close by—had their food twice and it was wonderful. 

Had a fantastic walking tour. Learned so much about the buildings, plazas, markets of Cusco—Ed and I loved the history lessons on the Inca people and Spanish colonial times. Fireworks crashed our ears as the Roman Catholics celebrated another saints day. Loved the parade with the hilarious masked men to represent the drunken Spaniards. Met real llamas and alpacas on the tour—still don’t really know the difference. Had a wonderful bowl of chicken soup at a restaurant our guide recommended—we laughed so hard at the huge piece of chicken-an entire breast. Went to a super Inca Museum with lots of English translations.                     Learned about the pre-Incan civilizations (so many from such a long time ago) , Inca history (an incredible mummification cave) and Spanish invasion (the slaughter, their wealth and abuse). So impressed by the indigenous women weaving in the courtyard-amazing work. 

Off to Machu Picchu Pueblo tomorrow  (town also called Aqua Calientes) at the base of the mountain. 


Machu Picchu

2018-10-03 to 2018-10-05

Machu Picchu

The whole trip exceeded our expectations. We loved the short 2 hour train trip from Ollantaytambo to Machu Picchu Pueblo and Agua Caliente where we stayed for two nights. I kept thinking is that the mountain or is it that one? Wondering if we were on any trails or roads that the Incan people had been on. 

Our hostel had hot showers and so we indulged. I do miss hot water in the taps. Our room was cold but we had a heater and a hair dryer—true luxury. We enjoyed the restaurant across from our hostel and I was so excited that we got up early.

We got to the bus stop 1 1/2 hours ahead of time. I nibbled on a sandwich before we went in for it was rude to eat in this spiritual place. Also the washrooms were only on the outside and you could only enter once so we took short sips of water from our bottle. We decided we would splurge on a guide and ended up sharing the cost with Sonke from Germany. We went up, up, up  to see the layout of this magnificent land.

I wondered how the elderly were going to get around on their walking poles and canes. We huffed and puffed only to the top and then it was much easier but still the stairs were made of ancient small stones and rock. 

Ed

What a great decision to go with a guide!  His Incan heritage came through, not just with information, but with the pride and passion he had for his culture.  He dealt gently with the destruction of so much of the Incan culture by the Spanish  I was especially taken with the Incan building methods connected to class.  The professionals, like their engineers, had their stone rooms constructed carefully- stones fitted together with no mortar but not necessarily exact and perfectly level.  The royalty’s rooms though had to fit perfectly and be exactly level using a water based method like the Egyptians.  The workers’ rooms however were simply round rocks mortored into place haphazardly.  It was strange to see one section of wall in a row had all three methods in a single expanse.  My father was a stone mason and a bricklayer and I wish he could have seen this!

We enjoyed the 2 hour guided tour and then took another hour to explore on our own at a slower rate. So we were up on the mountain from 10 am until 3 pm----5 hours. Despite all the other tourists--7000 a day-- we did not feel crowded--this was slow season. We were so wowed by the tourists doing the Inca Trail or climbing up or down the mountain. We were glad to have no altitude sickness because of all the extra time we had spent in higher altitudes. I think we were so impressed by Machu Picchu because of the long journey to get there and because we love history so much. 


Ollantaytambo

2018-10-05 to 2018-10-08

We took the train back to Ollantaytambo.

(As an aside-they have a rule that "if you can't take it on the plane, you can't take it on this train.  It was a small carry-on bag only.  We talked to an Inka Rail clerk in Cusco who said you could get special approval to have your large bags put aboard.  We took the chance but worried that the train people might not know this!  We had lots of stares as we rolled our bags to our carriage-everyone else had the regulation back packs.  No worries-we were the only ones so there was space behind the last seat!)

We felt like royalty because we shared a whole coach with another couple (eight seats each)  and for most of the trip we also had the observation car next to us all to ourself as well.  

Ollantaytambo was home to Pachacuti, the Incan king who had Machu Picchu built as a ceremonial retreat which he often only visited during the Winter and Summer Solstices.  He also had a palace in Cusco.

Ollantaytambo was know for its massive Inca fortress with stone terraces.  They also built huge granaries far up the opposite mountain- Pinkullyuna.  It must have taken a long time to move the grain up there but the height was supposed to act as a preservative.  Esther had wanted to climb up there the first time she saw it in a travel book months before we left on our journey.

It was a hair raising experience.  The entrance to the path was not well marked.  We had to do some serious exploring to even find the one gate, hidden in a residential section, that led to the path.  It was a use-at-your-own-risk.  The government warned not to travel it alone.  Being two accident prone Klutzes, we had to  be especially careful.  The narrow dirt and gravel path twisted its way up, sometimes seeming like stone ladders instead of a trail. Once at the granary we could see down and across the town to the fortress.  It started to spit and we were even more nervous, so moved quickly to the bottom, thankful to have survived.

Now remember service is slow in Peru. Often we have to think ahead and not go to a restaurant hungry---expecting to get a drink within 20 minutes to half an hour or get food 30-40 minutes after your drinks. I ate my first guinea pig—cuy. It tasted like chicken/pork. It did not have its head and body splayed —just small pieces with lots of skin/fat. We went to an upscale restaurant that overlooked the main square of Ollaytaytambo. We ate Peruvian specialities at their best. Quinoa pancakes were fantastic. And lots of vegetables again. Didn’t like the dehydrated potatoes. Our corn is way better -sweeter—but they have more colours of corn cobs. Stuffed pepppers and stuffed potatoes were okay. Recommend Restaurant Chuncho to anyone. 

Election time in Peru—we kept seeing vote for Elvis signs everywhere. They had their booths with balloons and so many parades with instruments and fireworks. We got to see our little alleyway flooded with people coming from the farms to vote. It was a rainbow of colour. That is the major difference between Chile and Peru—in Chile it still was cold  (winter turning to Spring) so yes, dark clothes were appropriate—but grey and black were everywhere. Here it is RED—my favourite! And that is only the first choice—then they layer on pink, blue, purple, etc. And they were selling food everywhere—especially slabs of meat.

Love the little motorcycle vehicles again—called Motos here. Called Tuk Tuks in Asia. Lots of fun and noisy. These are covered because of all the sudden rain showers. 


Amazon

2018-10-09 to 2018-10-16

Do you know the difference between a rainforest and a jungle? I have been trying to understand it—here in Peru they use it interchangeabley. I read that a rainforest has a canopy of trees and so less grows on the floor. A jungle gets more sunlight and so more vines grow and it is harder to walk through the jungle—our guide had a machete today.

We arrived by plane to Puerto Maldonado in eastern Peru near the Bolivian border. A wall of heat hit us as we got off the plane onto the tarmac. After talking about the cold of Chile and Perú it was amazing that 1 1/2 hours away this tropical zone existed.

We headed off to our little slice of paradise at Jose Antonio’s Inn in town. Our sweet little pool, air conditioning, fresh towels every day, a refrigerator and a supermarket around the corner. Leo took such good care of us with a twinkle in his eye—he wants to come to Canada now. Pedro made us fresh scrambled eggs in the morning when they had run out. We explored and found out every day the stores close for siesta in the heat. The first evening it poured cats and dogs just as we were going out for dinner so we had sandwiches in our room. It does rain unexpectedly in the rain forest.   

I had looked up the best restaurant we could afford and it was fantastic! Burgos—you would think burgers but it was a lovely spot with tablecloths and cloth napkins—where the 2 rivers (Madre de Dios and Tambopata) meet. Has a fantastic salad bar— we had not had enough vegetables— I chose cucumbers, olives, pickled cauliflower, and a deep fried eggplant with a wonderful picante dressing. My pollo con amazonica salsa was divine. Both of our meals came on their own hibachi. Ed had amazon fish steamed in banana leaves. Superb! We went back again later in the week. 

We booked a kayak trip down the Tambopata river. We got picked up, met Omar our guide-a student of eco-tourism —went down a very bumpy sandy road to one of the banks, got our kayaks on a flat roofed passenger boat, got dropped off and away we went. Black and white  herons circled us. Parakeets squawked wildly in the treed riverbanks. The kayaks had strong backs on the seats so Eddie had no problems with his back. I asked Omar every silly and scientific question I could think of.

We finished our ride by sinking our feet into the mucky muddy banks. Omar showed us a termite colony on a nearby tree and said many eat them for protein. He talked about all the medicines they get from the trees and plants. Ed loved this trip  for it was a nice 3 hour experience, we had our own wonderful intelligent guide and we went at a leisurely pace.

Puerto Maldonado is a concrete diesel town—seems like more motorcycles and motos (3 wheeled motorcycle ride) than people—few buses and cars because gas is so expensive. It is rough and dirty with sweet people. We had great fun in an ice cream shop. Ed ordered treat after treat—his granola ice cream was delicious. 

Now we are at our true hot and steamy jungle experience. So hot you can’t sleep. A wild rainstorm pounded on the tin roof at 3:30 am. We had to get up anyways  for the 4-8 am jungle tour with Roger. We are now at a true hostel. We shared the place with young people from Germany and Spain so far. We are 8 and share 2 toilets and 2 showers-one ice cold and the other warmed by the sun. Maria the wife cooks for us very simple meals and we eat along 2 long tables with benches—imagine the Waltons!  We had rice, beans and a small piece of chicken, then the next, a glorious fish with rice, then a boiled egg with deep fried yucca for breakfast with a banana. I think of this place as my spa—hot yoga all day cleansing the toxins out of my body, slimming meals and a slow place to contemplate life. Only 1 not tasty meal of some kind of beef hard as a rock and again rice—Ed is sick of rice!

We went piranha fishing! Yes we did grandkids! Another first for Eddie, Lucille. Don you would have been proud. First we got cut up chicken and dangled a piece into the murky water— the fish flipped and tugged trying to wrench it away. Then we got a piece of line wrapped around a bamboo square and put the chicken on the hook and threw it out. Hey, you would like this Greg and Karen’s Nathan. Now these piranha are not the dangerous kind- they are the small white/yellowish variety.  I read that president Teddy Roosevelt went to South America on an expedition in 1918 and described piranaha as fierce creatures like in the movies. All the people here say that is just Hollywood. For the president they got some piranhas and starved them and then threw a dead cow in the water and yes the fish ate the cow. But it was all for show. Yes Ed and I each can caught 4 or 5 and then released them back into the swamp area. See the video and photos. 

We went back to the hostel ready and eager to go back to bed.  Our guide and host, Roger, insisted that it was going to rain tomorrow and that we should take the afternoon tour NOW!  We agreed so off we went.  

We jumped into the open boat and headed up stream.  Our guide would stop along the bank as he came upon a different species.  We first met the beautiful Hoatzin bird (Google it- it is gorgeous.  We saw turtles and various bird species.  Roger was constantly making bird calls trying to attract a response- we couldn’t believe how often it worked!

We landed at a “Ferry Terminal”, just a concrete ramp that connected the opposite bank of the river to “civilization”.  They have no road access from Puerto Maldonado.  We began our voyage through the jungle trying to follow Roger’s explanations about the various fauna and floras of the region.  He brought another guide to act as an English interpreter.  It was hilarious.  He would say one word of English then just repeat what Roger had said in Spanish.   But it was very informative.  He talked about the medicinal benefits os so many plants.  We were thrilled to finally understand about Brazil nuts!  He said the tree is a natural magnetic “antenna” and is often struck by lightning.  I wondered if it could get WiFi

We drank water produced by a bamboo that was sliced open in sections by Roger and toasted the animals and plants do the jungle.

We ended up at the “spot” to watch the sunset (Jim, you should have been there!).  I was ready for bed and thought we were heading for “home”!

But we were quick to realize that there was more to come.  Roger steered the boat and shone his extremely bright spotlight on the shore (nobody seemed to be concerned that it was pitch dark and we couldn’t see anything ahead of us!).  But it turned out to be the best part of the trip.  All the night animals were out in full display.  The best were the Capybaras, the largest rodent in the world.  We came upon a whole colony of them right at the edge of the river. Many babies were playing and some of the adults were Huge.  Next came the Caimans, small (3 to 15 feet) relatives of the Alligator. They were also right at the water’s edge.  The Capybaras, for the most part ignored us, but the Caimans headed for the river.  I stopped trailing my fingers in the lazy flow of the river.

A few mosquito bites and then we were ready for bed- enough wild life for one day!


Arequipa, Peru

2018-10-20 to 2018-10-25

We are now in Arequipa, Peru.  It is a beautiful city in the south of Peru.

We left Puerto Moldanado after getting mosquito bites on our very last night at our Isuyama "Resort", in spite of of taking all the usual precautions that we did for the first couple of days.

We also both came down with colds.  So Arequipa has been a real "oasis" for us.

First thing we did when we arrived was check out the local "Plaza de Armas" (Arms Square).  Every place we have been in South American seems to have one and it is typically the place to go!  This Plaza is the most beautiful one we have seem, built out of brilliant white stone.

We had such a great meal on a balcony overlooking the square, a prawn meal, but not like Port Albernis beauties- they had crab like legs, even the flesh looked like crab meat, and pincers like crabs or lobsters (it did seem to ring a bell with me but I can't remember where I have seen something similar...Paul or Geri?). There was also Papa Purée (yes- mashed potatoes) and Tempura vegetables!

We have wandered around the town, usually with me getting lost using the tourist maps, then needing Esther's sense of direction to find our way.  I always headed exactly in the opposite direction to which I thought I was heading!  I swear it has something to do with the effect of the Southern Magnetic Pole on my brain.

We spent lots of time exploring for recommended restaurants.  Found a lovely Italian restaurant, owned by a lovely Sicilian who treated us royally, even supplying us with Lemoncello at the end of our meal.

We then had a delightful visit to a "farm" in the middle of the city, called Mundo Alpaca.  It is centred around keeping their cultural weaving practices alive.  You get to pet and feed the alpaca and a couple of llama and watch the Indigenous weavers ply their craft.  Then, of course, you get the selling spiel, trying to get you to part with many soles (Peruvian money) for the absolutely beautiful but expensive, products. 

A real highlight for me was the visit to the Catholic University of Santa Maria's Museum of  Andean Sanctuaries- their tour though was shorter than their name.  There is a perfect one hour video/tour with an English guide.  It is a relatively small display but all fascinating.  It is centred on "Momia Juanita" (Mummy Juanita), a 12 to 15 year old Inca girl who was sacrificed to their gods, who lived in the mountains, in hopes of receiving special treatment and protection.  The children were usually members of royalty or the upper classes.  They were prepared for years, kept well fed and in good health.

She was sacrificed on Mount Ampato, a 20 000+ foot volcano near to Arequipa.  An anthropologist and Explorer-in-Residence with National Geographic, Johan Reinhard and his Peruvian climbing partner, Miguel Zarate, discovered her in 1995.  It was luck that precipitated the find.  Mount Ampato had been covered with snow for 500 years.  A nearby volcano had erupted and the heat from the resulting ash melted the snow on Ampato.  Most of the Inca burial site had slid down into a gully that led to its crater.  They discovered a bundle in the crater and it turned out to be Juanita as well as many offerings including statues and food items that were strewn about the mountain side.  

Juanita had been given a fermented corn drink and coca to numb here but had evidently been killed by a blow to the head and then buried 5 feet below the surface.


Mendoza, Argentina

2018-10-31 to 2018-11-08

We left Arequipa, Peru and did the reverse trip to the one  when we entered. Hop On bus to Puno, Peru, overnight there, and then on to Copacabana, Bolivia, on Lake Titicaca then on to an overnight in La Paz, Bolivia.  We had been given a flight time earlier in the week that had us leaving for Santiago on a 11:20 a.m. flight.  It had been changed to an 8:30 flight without us receiving that information.  We arrived in La Paz nearing midnight, our Hop On bus guide taking us personally down dark wet streets, one in total disrepair, leading us to our hotel- the streets are so narrow you can not get buses down many of the side streets.The next day, luckily, Esther contacted our host in Santiago to confirm arrival time for pickup (plus checking to see if we could have our laundry done and ready before our next leg).  Our lovely host informed us of the correct time for our next morning flight.  If Esther hadn't done that we would have arrived at the airport after our flight left!We left Santiago, Chile for an 8 hour bus ride to Mendoza, Argentina.  Our friend/gentleman who picked us up at the airport, Juan Carlos, got us interested in the trip when he said, "When  you follow the river out of Chile the water will be blue...when you arrive in Argentina, the river will be red.  The trip involved heading East cutting across the Andes chain of mountains.  As usual we were looking at a lot of dry, barren, seemingly lifeless, beautiful, red mountains.  It was a lovely, restful trip...until we hit the "Switchbacks".  I have never seen such a collection of them...anywhere.  I lost count but the last sign I remember seeing was Curve 27.  It was a massive Hoover Dam-like wall!  It was like a convoy of mostly buses and large trucks.  As we started swinging around each curve you swore the bus was going over the edge.  The worst thing was there were no concrete barriers, no guard rails just narrow shoulders that you couldn't even see out of the window from the aisle seat- just space!  The higher we got the worse it seemed to get.  You thought of all the possibilities...a rock on the road, a blown tire, any driver having a sudden medical condition- you were at the mercy of every driver on the road.We finally got to the Argentinian border.  The bus entered the covered shed and I had to laugh.  There, firmly attached to the wall in front of our wicket, was a guard rail- I guess the buses were constantly hitting it.And yes, Juan Carlos was right.  The river was red with the sediments from those dry red mountains.  Maybe that's why the flamingoes we saw on the way were a little redder than pink!Mendoza is a beautiful city. Our tiny cheap apartment was right in the middle of the upscale area of restaurants, shops and parks. We enjoyed our 2nd and 3rd steak dinners. We had wonderful weather --24-30 C. Ed loved picking out the wine for it is so cheap--6 or 7 dollars for a good bottle. We had a good rest. We are now off on our adventures in Iguazu Falls, at the Hot Springs in Uruguary and then Buenos Aires for over a week. Tango here we come!


Northern Argentia

2018-11-09 to 2018-11-16

 We flew into Puerto Iguazú, home of the famous Iguazú Falls (at first I thought it was a well-known cousin of Greg)- those of you who don’t know Greg Falls of Port Alberni won’t understand this reference!  Never knew Argentina could be so hot! 33-35C

We met out host Mattias of NaRaMa  (stands for beginning of Nancy- his wife, beginning of his name Ramirez and the end of his wife’s last name)-we  fell in love with him immmediately.  He was always so eager to provide anything we asked of him. We did get some insect bites but thank goodness for calamine lotion. 

The next day we headed to the Falls- and here it is really plural- there are literally 275 distinct Falls.  It was voted one of the 7 Natural Wonders of the World- it is twice the height of our Niagara.

It was Saturday so lots of people.  Esther wanted to go to the most impressive Falls first- The Devil’s Throat. We took a Disney-like miniature train to get there.  It has 3 stations and we caught it to the final station right away.  It turned out that we were so lucky Esther made this crucial decision!  

We got off the train and started on a metal walkway with concrete foundations.  It snaked from small island to small island until we reached the Falls.  We were right on the edge of the falls.  You could look down between your legs and see the water of small sections of the Falls flow right under you.  The way parts of the “Throat” had eroded left solid sheets of drop and made it look like our Niagara Falls and other parts were small single drops one after another.  It was awe-inspiring. Hope the pictures can convey that.

I started to feel a little uncomfortable- I thought maybe riding facing backward on the train (Esther always has to face forward!) had caused the problem- although it had never bothered me before.  We left the area, caught the train back to the middle station to view other Falls.  We walked for about half an hour and I decided I couldn’t do any more.  I grabbed a bench and waited as Esther explored other sections.  When she returned we headed back towards the parking lot and on our way discovered a local bus- a real oasis for me by then.  It didn’t drop us off  where we wanted but we were able to grab a taxi- they are generally very cheap in South America!  

Made it home just in time.  I had never been that ill-vomiting.

Esther spent some around the pool (pond) relaxing then all of a sudden she was struck with the same problem.  We suspected a meal of prawn and fish the night before might have been the problem.

Again, thank you Esther for having us see the best part first! 

We spent 3 nights in Iguazú (manager making us toast and getting bananas for our sick bodies) and then took a bus to Posadas to La Misiones, a 3 Star hotel , a level of which we usually don’t avail ourselves.  Too sick to enjoy the pool. We enjoyed the brief luxury, including the free three o’clock checkout—-Big thanks to the Reception-Juan! We even hung around in the lobby for another hour waiting for our 6 o’clock bus.

We travelled that night to Concordia—we were supposed to get in at 1:45 in the morning but the bus didn’t get there until closer to 3 am. Would anybody be available to let us in?- would there be taxis running?  No problem, everything ran so smoothly- a 5 minute taxi ride- $3 with tip!, and someone there to open the long locked door! We were starting to feel a bit better but still not normal. 

The Cristobal Hotel was also above our usual level of luxury- it had only been open for 2 months.  Huge room, great linens and a wonderful restaurant.  We had a super server with great English.  And what’s more, we’d never forget her name...Victoria! Again so grateful for for air conditioning in the incredible heat. 

After 3 nights there we caught a sensible bus ride to Buenos  Aires- only 6 hours, leaves at 9 a.m. and gets in at 3 p.m.  We have 8 nights here.


Our time in Good Air (Buenos Aires)

2018-11-16 to 2018-11-23

 After our short bus trip (6 hours) from Concordia, we took a taxi to our apartment and got acquainted with our neighbourhood.  Took a tour around and found a market and a Laundromat and a wine shop so we were set.

The next morning (Saturday) we took an hour’s walk to a shopping mall to find a Cultural Centre (was surprised, Paul, we found it on Florida Street), that included a Tango performance (guess who disccovered that ?).  We bought tickets there for a 7:00 p.m. performance.  It was great, made you want to get up there and dance...almost.  Not only was the dancing wonderful, the music was even better, such power from a piano, a Bass, a violin and the best of all...a Spanish accordion!  I’ve never used those words before!  There was kind of a love story intertwined throughout it, and, although we could not understand all the words, we knew what was going on by the two main singers.  We took a walk and found some chocolate for me and then grabbed a taxi home- 100 pesos- just over $3.

We saw an East Indian restaurant just a few blocks away and had so wanted spice again. It was fantastic! It was the best meal we had had in all of South America—korma vegetables, chicken shah jahani and basmati rice with pieces of cinnamon, cloves, cardamom. We had watched the movie “Today’s Special” on Netflix. It will get you hungry for East Indian food. We are both looking forward to curries in South East Asia.

On Sunday we walked down to Recoleta Cemetary and visited the mausoleum  of Eva Peron.  We then toured around a “Hippie” area with many, many tents of paintings and tons of carts and crafts.  Then we went to a nearby shopping mall to find an atm and Esther discovered a movie theatre. She found an English movie with Spanish subtitles- “Bohemian Rhapsody”—Freddie Mercury story—and it was the sing along version. It was sold out for all presentations so we came back the next night.  The 5:20 was sold out so we went to the 7:20 and had to sit in the second row- needed a chiropractor after 2 hours of that. But it was cool to hear the Spanish people sing along with the movie. They stood and clapped at the end. 

We like to walk so each day we are going farther and longer—1-2 hours. Walked to the Eva Peron Museum. Excellent exhibition of artifacts but it was all the different newsreel footage which taught us so much. Eva is very controversial-some say she just wanted the fame, that she wasted money-did see her Dior gowns. But she sure did a lot for the poor, elderly, children and women-helped get the vote for women. Ate a fantastic meal across the street from the museum—gosh the Argentinian’s can grill—vegetables—love the eggplant and squashes. Walked some more around the Botanical Gardens —some rich man’s private residence years ago. 

Today we walked downtown to go for our last steak meal. Saw many of the gorgeous buildings like the opera house. Our meal was superb! And so cheap—$10 for steak and stuffed potato.

We are off to South East Asia Saturday Nov 24—we will be there for December and January—-Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia with Paul and Geri for Christmas and Bali-hope to see Jeremy in January. We are back in Canada -Jan 27-Feb 5 in Victoria and Feb 6-13 in Manitoba.


Leaving South America-To South East Asia

2018-11-25 to 2018-12-01

We flew British Airways from Buenos Aires to London’s Heathrow Airport- a 13 hour flight. The flight crew was fantastic-friendly and fast. Enjoyed the tasty food. But we had a screaming child who would not listen to her mother. We could not sleep so watched another movie but could hear her scream through our earbuds. We got there in the morning around 6:00 a.m.  Esther had booked a “pod” room (Yotel).  We took directions from someone to get there- it is in a different Terminal than our arrival.  We had to take a free bus to get there.  It was not the correct advice!  As we wandered around the new terminal we ran into customs.  They informed us we should have gone through customs in the original terminal.  Rather than send us back, they kindly consented to process us there.

It was nearly 8:00 a.m. by the time we found our room.  The bed is in a structure that looks like a like a backwards C.  You press a button and the structure rotates making a flat bed and gives you space to walk freely into the shower stall.  We set our alarm to get up at noon, then took another free bus to get back to the original terminal.  We felt so. I h better after 4 hours rest.We hung around for a couple of hours then flew the second leg- a 11 hour flight to Bangkok. Another great flight with British Airways. Loved the hot English breakfast. Ice cream bars at midnight.

We took a cab to our first overnight stay in Bangkok- a new one for us- the Lamphu Treehouse.  The room was a little dated but the buffet breakfast was worth it.  It had an varied array of eggs, meats, fried potatoes, pancakes, Thai dishes and Western.  They were a great staff. They let us in 4 hours early and let us stay 3 hours after checkout. We stayed in our room and leisurely packed and checked out at noon.  They stored our luggage in a secure room and allowed us to lounge around the pool- Esther even swam lengths.  We had lunch there and were ready to check into our old favourite- the Korbua House- it was a two “block” walk along the Klong (Thai for canal) which both places fronted.

We never left the Khao San Road area and just rested from our 2 day, 24 hour jet lag flight! But we love Thailand and their food. Esther even ate curry for breakfast because she could not get enough. Great to have spice again. Loved the Cozy House Restaurant over the klong. Forgot how crazy and loud the music gets in the evening in the Backpackers area. Esther had a massage every day—foot, back, shoulder, even Thai massage that has Yoga poses in it. The massages were $5 for half an hour, 8 and 10 for a full hour. 

We even went back to Lamphu Treehouse and paid for the breakfast buffet which is open to the public for 180 baht@ about $6.

Then back to a different Bangkok airport for an Air Asia flight to Da Nang, Vietnam.  Our hotel arranged to pick us up and delivered us to our hotel, the Sun Boat in Hoi An.


Vietnam -Hoi An

2018-12-01 to 2018-12-13

We decided to stay 2 weeks in Ed’s favourite place in Vietnam -Hoi An. We are in a lovely cheaper hotel on the river with a pool and free bikes. We love our staff—Chan, Chan, Chin, Vu, Hwee, and Lay Tun. Yes there really are two Chans here-both girls. It takes 20 minutes to walk downtown from our hotel to the old town with its gorgeous lanterns.

Hoi An is a UNESCO World Heritage Site because it is a exceptionally well preserved example of a South East Asia trading port  dating from the 15th-19th century (not bombed by Vietnam war). 

It is rainy season here but we were blessed with lovely weather the first 5 days.  On the 6th day we used the hotel’s free bikes and started towards a lovely beach on the main road out of Hoi An.  It started to spit and, as we were only dressed in shorts and T-shirts, we decided to head back.  With the light rain and humidity we were totally soaked.

But that was only the precursor!  The next day it started to pour.  We finally decided after a few hours that it couldn’t last much longer so we armed ourselves with Tilley hats, umbrellas, rain jackets, and one rain poncho.  Boy, were we wrong!  Our hotel is on a one lane walkway right on the river; it leads right to the market and Old Town section.  Sections of the walkway were already flooded, they couldn’t drain fast enough to keep up with the downpour.  We were walking in 4 inch puddles in some parts, so much for our dry runners now.  November rain in Port Alberni seemed like a mere shower now.  The wind picked up and the rain was coming in horizontally, so much for the umbrellas.

The next day ir rained just as hard.  We stayed close to home.  We were glad for 2 English tv channels-Discovery and National Geographic.  We also enjoyed playing cards. There was a break in the rain so we went for dinner at the hotel right beside ours, as ours only served breakfast.  We had a lovely dinner and headed for the door.  They’re Back...it was pouring again!  Our hotel was only 20 feet away but we would have been drenched. The hotel gave us each an umbrella and one of their workers came with us and took our umbrellas back home.

We were lucky after that night.  The weather cleared and we took another bike around the island that is in the mouth of the river in front of our hotel.  After a good ride, and only getting a little lost, we came back and went into the hotel pool.  Esther did many lengths and it felt good to get wet without any clothes to worry about.  The pool was unusual in that the deck lounge chairs were all in a shallow section at the side of the pool immersed in about 8 inches of water.

We took another bike ride the next and helped an Australian couple who were walking and got lost- we knew how it felt.

We have really learned a lot more about Vietnamese food and have been on the search for the best “pho ga” —which is chicken noodle soup. We have had some terrible meals and some lovely surprises—enjoyed hot pot-where you cook vegetables and meat in a broth in a pot on your table. 

Hoi An is renowned for its tailor businesses. Esther got a white linen shirt and pants made. She loves them. She wanted them for Egypt-so she is all covered up to show respect for the Islamic religion but feels cool in the linen. 

Ed got a haircut. We went into a beauty shop I thought was nice and asked if they cut hair. They said yes. So we waited. Finally the owner said her barber was busy and so walked us down to a proper men’s barbershop. At first he buzzed Ed’s hair and the back of his hair looked like a bowl cut like a monk—I thought—yikes! But then he feathered it all nicely. Ed says “that my lavish locks are now trim and beautiful—both of them”. Ha ha. Esther got a pedicure for $5 and a manicure for $4 at the beauty shop—she went back because of the owner’s great customer service.

We found sunglasses. I wanted to look like Jackie Onassis in big bold glasses. The market surprisingly has more expensive prices than the shops in the tourist area. I saw a little old lady in pink on the street with a rack of glasses and started trying on—I liked the price—$7 dollars. She liked the red ones on me but I preferred the two tone beige—Ed says I look like Lauren Bacall. Next we shopped for sunglassses for Eddie. He picked up a pair of tortoiseshell ones. I was shocked. I always liked that wild pattern but never thought Ed would. We walked around and couldn’t find anything nicer. The next day we tried to find that shop. Couldn’t find it. Went to a corner stand and there were several more to choose from. Ed is now stylish and ready for the sun in Cambodia with Paul and Geri. We expect and hope for sun—we know it is going to be hot hot hot—32 C. 

Christmas is coming. Doesn’t quite feel real without all the preparations, customs and traditions. Ed loves escaping from all the shopping craziness. He does love putting up a real tree as I do. I have bought a 4 inch tall paper fold up tree. I have an online advent calendar that plays old carols and instrumental songs. Warms my heart. I have bought Ed a little present—shhh don’t tell. In every restaurant, hotel and shop there are Christmas decorations—wreaths, garlands, trees-loved the fake snow made of cotton balls which disintegrated in the rain and wind. 

Merry Christmas to you all!! Special hugs to our grandchildren Connor, Olinka and Elishka!


Sunset Lounge- Cliffords in Cambodia (Love Alliteration)

2018-12-15 to 2018-12-27

 We flew from Bangkok to Kuala Lumpur and then to Sihanoukville, Cambodia.  Our lovely Sunset Lounge Resort had a driver lined up for us and we had a bumpy ride to the Sunset Lounge- a beautiful little resort at the opposite end of a beach that began with the small town of Sihanoukville.  There is a lot of construction on the roads between the airport and Sihanoukville but it still only took less than an hour to get there.  Also massive construction of hotels and especially casinos, seemingly a huge investment by China in the area.

We were so lucky to have our wonderful friends, Paul and Geri Richardson, greet us on our arrival to the resort.  On our table at our bungalow was a great bottle of wine and a Canadian flag to really make us feel at home.  What a great start!

We have spent our time walking the beach from our resort to the Serendippity Beach on the other side of Sihanoukville, taking just under an hour.  Of course, we would reward ourselves for all that exercise with a cold beer at a tiny little establishment right on the water.

Esther has been very brave, as our gracious hosts, Kati and Andres have 3 quiet dogs that spend a lot of time at the restaurant at the resort- see the picture of the two of them sitting cozily together.

We found the resort’s absolutely delicious food and the fantastic staff that cater to your every wish as you are in the middle of asking for it, so appealing, we ended up eating every single meal with them!

Esther has been swimming lengths at the gorgeous pool that amazingly is exactly the perfect temperature.  She had built up to 32 laps by the end of our stay.

Paul and I have spent the last few days taking turns playing crib on our respective patios before heading down to cocktails and dinner. The first day Ed won 2 games, one a skunk, but after that Paul reigned supreme.  He won every game, 3 of them skunks.  I am going to teach Esther how to play so I can practice every day and demand a rematch when I see him again!

Paul listened to every Canuck game he could and we argued the relative merits of our respective hockey pool teams.

Esther and I celebrated Christmas by watching every classic Christmas movie we could over the whole season, snuggling in bed, sometimes falling asleep half  way through.   We eventually got all our favourites in, including White Christmas, Scrooge (1951 version) and, of course, It’s A Wonderful Life.

We had a lovely time celebrating Paul’s birthday (Dec.25), especially the most delicious, moist cake provided by the hosts and staff.  Even though it was Paul’s birthday, he and Geri handed out treat bags to all the marvellous staff.

We hate to leave them but tomorrow we fly to Kuala Lumpur, then on to Bali, Indonesia, hopefully without being bothered by the volcano erupting between Sumatra and Java.

We have so loved our vacation from travelling!


Road to Bali (for the youngsters-who are Hope and Crosby?)

2018-12-28 to 2019-01-13

We sadly left our little bit of heaven and flew to Kuala Lumpur.  We had adventure just heading for the airport!  We had a downpour the night before we left.  The road under construction, made from “Anne of Green Gables” red soil, had turned into a roller coaster ride.  The trucks that had been navigating them had left massive holes and mounds- you could lose a VW in some of them.  Our driver bottomed out on one the highs and he was very concerned for his underside (of the car, of course) and we started to worry about making our flight. Luckily once we made it to the paved section, we were actually early.

Our first flight was uneventful and soon we were on our way to Bali, constantly looking out the windows for volcano plumes.  Luckily it was dark and we stopped looking.

We arrived late into Denpasar airport and were bussed to the terminal.  Once in it, we discovered so were many, many, more flights.  It looked like it was going to take forever to get through but their system of funnelling everyone into 5 sections and we snaked our way to the front.  To those of you who have not made it there before, remember that you can only stay up to 30 days...exactly!  Count not by months (as some have 31 days) but 30 days, which includes the first and last day there.  If not you will have the delight of bringing the immigration people 300 000 Indonesian rupiahs per day that you are over the limit (about $30) on the day you finally depart.

We finally got through about 11:00 p.m.  Of course, you are accousted by taxi drivers more than eager to take you away.  Esther did a masterful job of separating the “wheat from the chaff” and we were happy with our deal, even though we wasn’t a real taxi driver.

We spent 2 days on Kuta, a nice place at the end of a long narrow alley off of the road on Kuta Beach.  We spent 2 nights there and then left for 2 weeks in Ubud, more inland and a wonderful village full of Arts and Culture...and motorbikes!

We are staying here for two weeks at the Surawan Bisma hotel.  It sits picturesquely  almost surrounded by rice paddies, just off Jalan (street) Bisma.  It is reached by a cement  three and a half foot- wide pathway that is raised above the rice paddies and bordered by water ditches that feed the various flelds.  It is somewhat lit up, but has areas of dark patches.  It is sometimes an adventure going home at night as you have to share the path with numerous motorbikes with little room to pass.  Luckily Esther bought tiny flashlights whose batteries are charged by an even tinier crank, which give us just enough light to make it through the curving dark spots, and also warn the bikes to slow down so we can get out of the way!

The staff, all males, were wonderful—Gusti, Nyoman and Putra. They looked after our every need, even up to folding our towels into swans or turtles- I believe they thought we were Honeymooners.  We did suffer though; there was no T.V. or fridge, so it was almost camping!

It was so quiet, at times, we thought we were all alone.  At certain times there were symphonies of cicadas, cooing doves, chirping rice-eating birds, ducks, frogs and...yes motorbikes.

The Balinese people are very warm and friendly-it is a delight to interact with them.  Of course the tourists are from all over the world and provide endless “people watching” activities. I believe, though, that tattoos and “man buns” seem to be in the majority.  Oh, if only I had the hair!

We found a bar/restaurant just down Bisma from our place named “Why Not” and spent many delightful hours watching the interesting human traffic...and of course, motorbikes.  

Our half a swastika (the ancient symbol) pathway,  named Sunset Lane, was also home to a small family “Warung” (restaurant) Gaura.  We discovered it early on and had many delicious, small portioned meals, that were so inexpensive, we told them they should charge more... right after we left, of course.  The  staff was wonderful especially Disa. She gave us a present as we were leaving-a beautiful batik sarong. 

We had a delightful hot springs/cold springs experience in a grotto that was totally carved into the rock beside the river that passed the Spa Hotel.  The Grotto was full of beautiful carvings of mythical human figures, frogs, lush foliage and the carved monkeys were particularly interesting!

We walked our favourite rice paddy walk where I first travelled with Paul and Geri Richardson and Jim and Laura Boyce almost 20 years ago.  The rice paddy part was as striking as usual.  But the second part of the walk, circling back to Ubud on a rural road, had changed dramatically, instead of the quiet country road I remembered, it was so much busier.  There was often many spots when there was very little shoulder, which meant if 2 vehicles were passing, it could be quite dangerous... and then there were the motorbikes!  Also it seemed Ubud had expanded much farther out on that country road.  It seemed more difficult to walk the much langer section of uneven sidewalks, and much noisier!  We decided for the time here, we would walk then paddies then when ir ran into the new paved road that leads to that country road, we would simply turn around and walk the paddies back.  Of course we would miss the fantastic wall of a new Spa complex, which included two healing pyramids, (healing by sound is the latest rave) that was on the section of road that led to the country road.

One night we decided to splurge and go to the Casa Luna—we were up on a second story, looking down on the first floor, where there were more tables and a Jazz Quartet playing- a bass, guitar, sax and lovely lady singer on keyboard. Their backdrop was a lush tropical garden.  They were playing great old standards and the singer so reminded us of Diana Krall that we had to get up and dance, much to the delight of the Balinese servers.

Esther here. I had 2 adventures. First yoga. I saw a class being held close by our hotel and decided to try it-even in then 28c heat-like hot yoga! There were only 4 of us at first and the instructor had a wonderful English vocabulary and described how certain poses would affect our anatomy-internal organs etc. It was Yin Yoga where you hold the poses for 5 minutes or more. I had not done Yin before and had not been doing yoga for 6 months so all the poses and stretches were very hard. But the instructor’s voice was so encouraging. I did my best. And the peace that followed me for 2 days was heavenly. I slept better and was less stressed. But I was so sore the days after——gosh did I groan. I truly believe in yoga and will do it again once back in Canada. 

My second adventure was the Kecak Dance. Ed and I had seen it before but I loved it so I went alone—almost. Ed walked me to the temple when all the electricity went out down the streets we were walking—luckily we had a flashlight. Ed would pick me up afterwards. The dance was as magical as before—100 men chanting in a circle-chanting 3 different melodies around a flaming candelabra. The. The dancers acted out a story of a prince and princess and the evil forces that try to separate them. I loved the tricky deer played by a lovely 6 year old and the good forces of the dragon and Garuda king of all birds. The electricity came back on after an hour—the restaurants and stores and hotels were happy again—They had been putting up new lines by hand in parts of Ubud. 

We are off to the ocean to snorkel for 4 days. Our next adventure begins. 


Snorkelling on the High Seas

2019-01-15 to 2019-01-26

Esther wanted to do more snorkelling so we headed up to Tulamben near Amed on the East Coast of Bali.  We have had many good and bad snorkelling experiences. The bad experiences scared Esther and she is more nervous. Esther wanted to find a place where she could walk right in from shore and see the fish. Now, this beach is full of rocks—no sand at all. She loved being above the Liberty Wreck five years ago. (Note from Ed- this is Esther writing in the third person?)

There are two stories about the Liberty Wreck’s position. The Japanese torpedoed the supply ship during World War 2. The Americans beached it in Tulamben and turned it into an artificial reef. It had been closer to shore. One side explained that lava from a Mount Agung eruptionn pushed it out farther from shore; the other side thinks the Liberty had already had been farther from shore and the eruption’s lava simply made more Bali land out to the sunken wreck.

Day 1– Calm ocean but Esther has a cold. Can she use the snorkelling equipment? We had a great time and saw many of our favourite coloured fish. Her favourite are the tiny fluorescent blue ones amongst the orangey-red fish, lovely striped green and blue and hiding brown and gray ones. It is so wonderful to walk into the warm ocean water. 

Day 2–Stormy day with lots of heavy rain. Ocean has more waves and it feels like we are being tossed around. We had hoped to snorkel out to the Wreck but the waves were too big and pushed us back. We saw many more schools of fish. Also a large blue sea star and brown sea star. When getting out Esther is knocked about on the rocks and has some scrapes. 

Day 3–Calm ocean and Esther’s cold is worse but she is determined to swim out to the wreck. She dons a life jacket to help her. We have great fun in the bubbles coming from the Scuba Divers beneath us. I had hoped Eddie would scuba dive but he too is getting a cold. I love to touch the bubbles. It feels like we are being tickled. The Wreck has become an artificial reef and there are many different kinds of fish (400) in the deep water. One yellow and green fish stays very close to us and it is like we are playing tag—Finding Nemo? 

We are staying at the Liberty Dive Hotel and it is empty. Is it because the volcano eruptions 2 islands over, smoking Mt. Agung nearby or rainy weather? So lets call it—the Hotel Clifford. We have one pool all to ourselves. At times we are the only ones in the restaurant. There is a huge flat screen tv in the restaurant so we are watching the Australian Open Tennis Tournament and are cheering on the Canadians—Raonic, Shapovalov, Bouchard and new comer Andreescu. We got hooked on tennis by watching many games with our close friends Paul and Geri. We are planning on again getting tickets for Wimbledon in England in July—we only had to wait in line over 4 hours last time—but the fans were so nice and shared their picnic baskets with us. 

We headed down to Seminyak for our last week in Bali. We wanted to be near Jeremy for more visiting. We saw our good friends Paul and Geri one last time in Sanur. They have 2 more months in Bali and Vietnam. What did we do?  We walked the beach every day. We went over to visit Jeremy and to see Canggu and it is black sand beaches. Ed and I got to ride a scooter bike and it was great fun! 

We have now finished the first half of our Around the World 2 Adventure. We are looking forward to seeing family and friends in Victoria and Manitoba over the next 2 weeks January 27- February 13. 


Africa Part 1–Senegal with family

2019-02-13 to 2019-03-14

Journey from Winnipeg to Toronto to Paris to Senegal

We arrived at the Winnipeg airport with 3 hours to spare. We saw my brother Vic and his wife Terry, niece Jackie and the twins Maymouna (girl) and Yero (boy). The twins are 1 year and 3 months old.

WE stood in a long, long line and found out that terrible weather in Toronto had meant that  flights were cancelled and delayed yesterday. Would we make it to Paris? After waiting in line for an hour, an agent helped us and bumped us to the head of the line. But the agent said Jackie had 3 children listed for her tickets. Yikes! After another 45 minutes we were through! The  flight was delayed in Wiinipeg so we could now all get our seats. What would happen in Toronto?

A wonderful Air France agent helped us and now Jackie had only 1 child—not 3. Yero had been deleted. So that was fixed—we all got great seats together. At the front of one section where they had extra room for their feet and bassinets that fit into the wall for the little ones to sleep. Air France was great—we had wonderful food and service. Ed and I got some sleep but with the time change-it was a short 3-4 hour nap. The twins tried their best but it was hard for them to sleep on a plane—kids are supposed to sleep on their backs, strapped in and not on their fronts which they were used to—then we had turbulence too— 8 hour flight—so Jackie, Vic and Terry helped their children and got no sleep. 

Paris! 12C and sunshine. Got a hotel very near the airport and took a shuttle train to get there. We were a sight with all our suitcases! They had 3 suitcases heavy with gifts for the Senegalese people. And 2 play pens. So 8 in all. And then Ed and I had our 1 suitcase and backpack each. Ibis Hotel treated us very well and we all got our rooms early for no charge. Showered and changed and were ready to fulfill Vic’s dream of the Hop On Buses so they could see the real Paris. Jackie was a great leader and we arrive at the Eiffel Tower. Still such a wow!! Had a Parisian lunch of croque monsieurs and French onion soup. Ed and I had a lovely bottle of French wine—ooh la la.

Up to the top of the bus we went to the open air section for the best views. After 1 1/2 hours we arrived back at the Eiffel and strolled around. The twins behaved well in their baby carrying  backpacks. Ed and I had a good sleep and a fantastic free breakfast buffet at Ibis with fresh squeezed orange juice, crepes, Parisian cheeses and croissants. Paris to Senegal flight was good—only 5 hours. Africa here we come!


Africa—Senegal part 2

2019-02-15 to 2019-03-20

Malal had organized 3 apartments for us in an area near the ocean/beach. Jackie and Malal plan to build a house nearby in Popenguine. They plan to live in Canada for 9 more years and then move to Senegal. Malal had stocked the kitchens with some groceries which were much appreciated! We had our first traditional meal with a huge bowl of meat over rice and vegetables. The bowl was bigger than any Mennonite bowl! We each had a spoon and a section and you ate from there. It was delicious. I thought the food would be spicy but most of it is not.

Festival——Vic/Terry and Malal/Jackie had been planning for a “Festival” for almost a year. It would be in front of Malal’s family’s house in Dakar—his father bought the land and built a square of brick buildings where Malal’s family lives—he has 5 brothers (His parents have passed away). Dakar is a huge port city of over 1 million people. 

The “Festival” would be first-a clean up of the neighborhood, then a lunch for 300, face painting, a neighbourhood meeting, dancing and drumming. Malal had a tailor make us traditional outfits—a tunic top and drawstring pants. I got one with blue and red and white flowers. Ed’s was in a zebra pattern. My favourite safari pants had 2 rips and the tailor fixed them for me easily and quickly.

The clean up went well and we picked up garbage along the streets. Like any developing country garbage is a problem. We pick up the garbage and put it into wheelbarrows until the carts came pulled by small horses. The women used their brooms made of branches, the little kids put trash into a toy pick up and the bigger kids used a large plastic tarp. The men gathered the garbage into a huge mound and used pitch forks and shovels. At the neighbourhood meeting they were going to discuss how to take care of garbage better. We had another delicious traditional lunch in a bowl. For the neighbourhood Malal wanted to build a small park where the people could meet. They had cleaned up a part of the street and a businessman had donated $1200 and the land towards this project. We met him and his family. Vic was like an ambassador for Canada. Malal translated the French and Wolof for us.

Then it was time to meet the mayor! The mayor had heard of this festival and the eye glasses project Vic had organized. Vic had bought a $2000 eye tester which could easily fit the right prescription for each person’s glasses. At city hall the chamber table filled up with richly dressed women. In came the press with cameras and recorders. Then the mayor came in—a woman too! We had not expected that! Malal and his brother explained the festival and eye glasses project. She was impressed and was glad to help. We were all tired but happy.

Jackie’s dream was to face paint the kids in the neighborhood. We set up a table and tried our best. We painted until we couldn’t see anymore and evening took over. THe drumming was next. We all sat in chairs around a huge tarp. One by one the people would get up and show us their dance moves to the intricate rhythms of the djembe drums. They moved their bodies so quickly, jumping, stamping and spinning. The women dressed up in beautiful bright and colourful dresses with elaborate head pieces, make up and hair was coiffed. The neighbourhood had never had such a festival before and they were very grateful to Malal and Vic. The community gave Vic a glass trophy.

Safari time! My goal was to see giraffes on this trip. We went to the Bandia Animal Reserve where the wild animals roam free. We got a guide and an open air truck with bleacher seats. First were the dangerous hyenas in the only caged area. Then to the open area of 3500 hectares. We drove for almost 2 hours. Where were the giraffes? I shrieked when I saw my first one—-so tall, tall, tall and graceful. Their eyes like beautiful slits, their crown of 2 horns. They ate the leaves off the thorny acacia trees. We saw baby giraffes so tender and sweet. Then antelopes, ostriches, zebras, monkeys, buffalo, birds and rhinos. They had taken off the horn of the rhino so the poachers would not kill them. It was a dream come true—a surreal moment for me.

Baobab trees are a symbol of life on the African plains. We see them everywhere. They can be 1000 -2000 years old.They are huge (trunk so wide a truck could drive through) and strange looking—now in dry season their branches look like monster arms—something Tolkien would have made up. 80% of their trunks are made up of water even though they are hollow. The bark is used for rope and cloth. The fruit is used to make a drink—the fruit is sometimes called monkey bread. 

End of part 2. But our adventures continue..


Africa—Senegal—part 3

2019-02-20 to 2019-03-28

 The beach was only a 2 minute walk from the apartments so Ed and I met the family there. After a while Jackie was getting hungry and asked a group of women nearby if there was anything she could buy to eat. They were making food for themselves. Well, an hour later the women came over with a dish of fish and vegetables over rice for us! How generous and kind and overwhelming! Malal says “This is Senegal!” “You Share What You Have.” It was delicious and later we went to thank them and see what they were selling. They were sewing wonderful handmade tablecloths made of squares or strips of bright material. We all bought some. They started to drum on the empty bowls around them and we ended up dancing with them on the beach. What a fantastic experience!

Off to the market we went where we saw the most beautiful woven baskets from tiny to grand size. We bought a small one with natural earth colours and met the weaver. I spied a bright red sarong with giraffes on it and Malal bargained hard and I got it. We are so grateful to have Malal as our guide—he makes each day easy and fun. Jewellery was next and Jackie wanted big hoop earrings and I found a lovely teardrop pair in brown and gold cloth.

Family—travelling with my brother and sister in law—they are so generous!  I loved Terry’s shopping enthusiasm, their dedication to their grandchildren, Vic’s passion for learning Wolof. There must be some way of teasing Vic about something but I can’t think of a thing right now!! With niece Jackie and nephew Malal—Malal looked after us royally and must be exhausted. He will need a vacation from this vacation. Ed says that Jackie’s face is a moving picture of expression! He says Jackie is a younger Esther! We both love to have fun and embrace life and are loud! The children—Maymouna is a little charmer who eyes melt hearts. She is contented to snuggle in your lap, eat and tease you with a twinkle in her eye. Yero is a little engineer who wants to know how things work—he loves to kick in soccer, wants to walk and lift and push things. 

Shell Island was another adventure. We walked across a bridge to a literal island made of shells. In a shallow place where fresh water met salt water, they dumped the shells of small clam like animals into the water until it eventually became ground. A second bridge leads to the village cemetery on another island they made. It has now become a popular tourist destination and makes it living selling their hand made crafts. The village is also unusual for it is 90% Catholic and 10% Muslim. They have helped each other in times of natural disasters and live together harmoniously—a lesson for us all!

So lucky that Malal hired Louis and his air conditioned 9 seater van. Our apartment had an air conditioner in the bedroom which was great for nighttime. We had a normal toilet and only had to use a squat toilet once. We had cold water for our showers so if we wanted a hot shower we heated up the water in kettles or on the stove and poured it into a bucket and then poured it over us. The electricity has gone off so we have had to use candles for light and propane for our stove. We stayed with Malal’s aunt in her large home for a few days as well. There was one bathroom that had hot water so the showers felt luxurious again. We did have many bug bites but we all were prepared with mosquito spray and after bite. The weather started off around a pleasant 24C but by the second week we had some hot 30’s. My tan is nice on my arms now. Ed says he has never seen me so brown.

Somone Lagoon—we went to this lush mangrove eco park which is a protected habitat for birds—-pelicans, herons and flamingoes. We rented a small boat for an hour tour. We got to plant mangrove trees. We ate at a wonderful Caribbean feel restaurant—fresh seafood. So delicious. Never a stinky fish smell—always moist. Excellent!

Food—Fantastic!!! Ed and I feel the way fish is cooked in Senegal is outstanding! Whether pan fried or barbecued, the fish was cooked perfectly. Had some fabulous prawns too. Loved the eggplant, cabbage, sweet carrots and of course onions. We have never eaten so many pan fried onions in our life—all sweet and mouthwatering. We got used to sharing the large bowl of meat (chicken, beef or fish) over vegetables and rice. We ate our share of tasty bananas and sweet oranges from the stands along the roads.

Camel riding! Another goal for Esther was to ride a camel. I had heard that they spit and bite so I was worried and scared. My niece Jackie asked the guide for the calmest camel for me. Terry and I saw one that made terrible noises and had bad breath. I got the gentle one and was helped on—you feel like you are going to fall forward as it gets up, up up. It did seem like we were riding in the sky. Ed thought it was more comfortable than an elephant for you have a soft saddle. Our chauffeur had never ridden a camel so we treated him and the 3 of us were a little caravan. We headed into the sand dunes. When the camels went a little faster it felt soooo fast—even our chauffeur asked to slow down. The noisy camel was tied behind me so I kept my feet forward so he wouldn’t bite me—but nothing happened. It was a great experience!

Riding in the sand dunes in an open truck with roll bars was loads of fun. The driver liked to tease us by going quickly around corners and down the dunes. We did scream a bit. Driving on the beach at the ocean reminded me of the stories I had heard about driving cars along Long Beach, Vancouver Island. We did it and you saw it Kerry in New Zealand!

Goree Island is a UNESCO World Heritage site. UNESCO says that Goree was the largest slave trading centre for Africa for 300 years. Because if you look at a world map, Dakar and New York are the closest points across the ocean. We went to the slave holding house (prison) which is now a museum. It separated the men, women and children into 3 areas. The Africans were fattened up—men up to 60 kg—certain tribes were prized because they had the tallest and strongest men. Sometimes African Chiefs would would sell their enemies to the Slave Traders. This prison had the famous “door of no return” which was the last place the Africans would go through and they would never see their homeland again. I had never heard of a signare—a woman of African heritage and European trader blood. They were very important and owned ships and property. They ran the households and the social activities of island life and even had slaves of their own. Slavery was abolished in Senegal in 1848.

We say goodbye to Senegal and thank Malal and Jackie for the most wonderful experience.  We will never forget your kindness, care and love. Off to Spain for a week and then Egypt here we come.


Africa Part 4- Egypt

2019-03-09 to 2019-03-11

Our beginning 

Esther was very nervous about Egypt because of their strict drug policies.  She was bringing in five months of drugs for her diabetes and would they think she was going to sell them?  But no problems at all!  We flew in and whizzed through the immigration- they didn’t even scan our bags.  Everyone was friendly and welcoming.  Our driver Khaled gave us a quick overview of Egypt as he drove, contending with wild drivers who zipped in and out of the lanes at crazy speeds, narrowing missing us...and that was 2:00 in the morning!  Little did we know, that was nothing compared to daytime driving!

Our hotel came highly recommended because of its close locations to the Egyptian Museum and Tahrir Square, (gathering place for the Arab Spring protests).  A good bed with a great cotton duvet- comfy.  But the place was not how it was advertised.starting with the 2 back alleys we had to go down, which were covered in garbage and broken down cars.  The advertised onsite ATM was out on the corner of the back alley..When Ed tried it, it gave out in denominations of 10 Egyptian Pounds (less than a Canadian dollar)- our bank charges $5 Canadian to use the ATM!  The creaky, questionable elevator could carry 2 bags and 2 people at a time.  The driver ran ahead with our backpack.  We suspected he didn’t trust the elevator either.

Cold in Cairo!

Esther never thought she would need a sweater in Egypt, but the nights in our first hotel were cold.  Guess in the heat of summer it would be welcome.  But we actually had to wear our Merino wool sweaters over our pajamas.Even at the Great Pyramid, when the sun went down and the chilly desert wind would take over and we would have to grab our jackets and scarves.

Cairo

We had ten minute walk to Tahrir Square and the Egyptian Museum.  Being a pedestrian in Cairo was a life and death experience!  The flow of traffic around the roundabout and Square was a test of nerve.  The cars seemed to turn 3 lanes of traffic into 4 or 5, especially if there were no buses or trucks involved.  Drivers seemed to choose whether to stop or not ar red lights.  There was always one lane that kept going, regardless of the red light and the green pedestrian light.  You moved out, usually holding hands while the cars chose the route around you.  Often Egyptian women would grab Esther’s arm move ahead as their husband would try and wave his arm to get the driver’s to slow down.  We would all smile and laugh at the end of the successful crossing.  Esther would call out her one word of Arabic “Shokran” (thank you)  and off we would head to the next intersection.


Africa - Part Five- Egypt

2019-03-12 to 2019-03-17

Who to Trust?

Our biggest problem was that we would encounter people who were really friendly but they just wanted  to sell us something. The guides and taxi drivers especially saw us as easy marks and we did pay more at times, but gradually learned how to deal with it.  We were upset  with being taken, but did realize people for money and were not well paid.  We had some frustrating times with ATMs, getting lost and trying to make sense of the language.  Ed only got as far as “Thank you” while Esther outdid him with 4 or 5 phrases!The hotels were usually way better in pictures and usually did not live up to our expectations.  We were budget travellers after all so learned to love at the end of the day.

Egyptian Museum

We had a great guide (Nader) for an hour, but who gave us extra time just because we were so enthusiastic- and so was he!  Esther won the prize for knowing the first Queen-King (Hatshepsut).  She peppered him with questions. Ed had not seen the hit of King Tutankhamun’s collection-his burial mask- Esther had seen it on her youth exchange trip to Germany when she was FIFTEEN. ED HAD TAKEN A LITTLE LONGER.
We wandered around for three hours, really examining what Nader had explained. (We thought of D’Arcy and Elaine’s experience in Egypt.

Our backs were aching so we on the stair entrance to the animal mummies exhibit. We sat with the cleaners who were taking their break and Esther tried out her Arabic on them. They laughed but could tell they appreciated the attemp at communication. We were awed by many of the exhibits but especially: the entire Tutankhamun section, the Hieroglyphics on the stone sarcophagi, the French scholar, Champollion decoding the Rosetta Stone and how that had changed the world of Ancient History. The two mummy rooms were eerie and some were decorated with fake hair, eyebrows, strange glass eyes that seemed to move. Esther tried not to think about the scary “ Mummy” movies, when they come alive and terrorize her in her dreams!

Giza—The Great Pyramids

We were mesmerized for 3 days with the Great Pyramids and the Sphinx. Our hotel had a rooftop restaurant where we ate breakfast, 1 lunch and 2 dinners and it centred right on the Pyramids. We decided to save money and hire our own guide at the entrance. Well, we were handed off from person to person to person because they did not want to walk! Finally they gave up and handed us over to a horse and cart driver who took us around for an hour so we could have an overview. Then we walked on our own for 2 hours. Ed went into the Great Pyramid upper chamber . It was amazing to watch him climb the great stones to get to the entrance. My neck actually hurt after a while from staring up the Great Pyramid. He said the tomb was not for the claustrophobic. It was a steep climb inside and with low tunnels and a 3 feet opening at the end. The only thing left in the chamber room was the stone sarcophagus. WE also went into the Solar Boat Museum. The ancients believed they needed a boat to sail into the next life. They actually built a real one and then took it all apart and buried it under the massive stones beside the base of the Great Pyramid. The engineers put it back together for us to see. Ed said he never thought when he was teaching Egyptian history that he would walk on this sacred desert plateau. We attended the Sound and Light Show—coloured lights lit up the site spectacularly and the good narration told more stories of ancient times.

The next day we hired an excellent guide named Reda and she gave us a tour of Saqqara and Memphis. Esther bombed her with questions about daily life in Egypt today, the Pyramids, the Sphinx-Ed asked her about politics and the current president. Her English was fantastic. She took us to the Papyrus Museum and we learned how the sheets were made. I was captured by the whole process and convinced Ed to buy a piece of art. We took a few minutes to learn about scents and essences—I had always wanted to know what Frankincense and myrrh smelled like—-Frankincese is very deep and woody smelling, while myrrh is lighter with a hint of cinnamon or cloves. We had a typical Egyptian lunch with grilled chicken and beef kofta, rice, cooked aubergine and vegetables in a wonderful gravy, pita with baba ganoush (eggplant with tahini). An orange or a banana for dessert. I loved the pickled cucumbers in a spicy brine.

Luxor

We flew from Cairo to Luxor. Egyptair was fine-although I wondered about the faded aqua blue and cream plane. It looked like it belonged in the 1960’s. We were in the business section for once—pure chance and last minute sales. Mohammed the manager greeted us at the airport and whisked us away to his “village” and Villa Sunrise. We were on the banks of the Nile in a huge 2 bedroom apartment. It was oldish and dusty but with a kitchen to make breakfast for ourselves, a good bed and windows. We did not have a window in Giza despite it being such a new hotel. I heard the birds singing in the back garden patio. Now the propane was an interesting story. We have a tank and Mohammed showed us how to use the stove. He wanted the tank tightened more so his strong nephew from the restaurant next to us tightened it and then we tried to heat up some soup and we couldn’t undo the tank knob. 3 guys tried and once even brought a cleaver to use as a hammer—in the end it was opened a little and we could use it. We were happy to have a washing machine and hung our clothes outside on the rack. We loved the restaurant and food run by Mohammed’s family. It was great to watch the action of the village—the little boy herding the sheep, the trucks delivering coke and garlic and propane, the Muslims in their traditional long garb, the boats like Feluccas and ferries going by. THe chef made wonderful tajine dishes—their tajines are small ceramic round bowls and not fluted. The meat and vegetables melt in your mouth from the steaming and intense heat.

We got a ferry boat and headed downstream 15 minutes on the Nile to Karnak. It is an ancient temple known for its colossal columns. 30 pharaohs added onto this complex. We hired the only guide available -and we did not like his arrogant, loud and overbearing manner. We were glad when he was done. Then we walked for 2 hours and enjoyed the magnitude of this historic place. Luxor was much warmer (25-28) and we enjoyed the shadows of the pylons.

Next was the Valley of Kings and the tombs. They dug tombs here for 500 years—found 63 tombs so far. I was nervous because I did not know how enclosed the tunnels would be but I was fine. We enjoyed the hieroglyphics and wall paintings. We did not go into the very small and bare Tutankhamun tomb. We imagined being an archaeologist and digging for years in the heat and sand and putting up with the flies. Then we went to the incredible Hatshepsut temple carved into the cliffs. It reminded us of palatial Greek and Roman palaces. We finished by going to the Luxor Temple at night. The lights did give an eerie and mystical effect to the colossal statues.

We really enjoyed Luxor because of Mohammed’s care of us. He arranged transportation for us with his friends and family for he knew how abused we felt. I did not want to go out into the streets because of the constant barrage of people wanting money. We had a little nest in which to calm ourselves. We met many British people who loved and lived in Luxor. We met the cook Violet who made British treats like pasties and pies for our restaurant.

We took the train from Luxor to Aswan -a 3 hour trip. But it was late of course and we waited 3 hours on a hot hot platform for our coach-we had only paid $7 each and the train was fine.The washroom was stinky and the toilet emptied onto the tracks as many trains in Asia did. WE had a terrible time getting to our guesthouse. The taxi driver tried to overcharge us and dropped us off at the wrong ferry dock. Boat drivers told us lies about the public ferry and said we had too much luggage for the ferry or the fee was 40 pounds instead of 5 . We were tired and angry by the time we got to our Elephantine Island destination. AGain we were soothed by another Mohammed and now a Shehap. They both treated us with extra care and helped us with the ferries, Felucca, shopping, tours and cars.


Africa- Part 6-Egypt

2019-03-18 to 2019-03-22

Military

Although there is much more armed security wherever you travel nowadays, it seems like it widespread and much more prevalent in Egypt.  There are many more armed checkpoints and zigzags through barricades, especially at the major sites like the Egyptian Museum, Giza and the Pyramids and Abu Simbel.  But they are also numerous at roads and highways across the country.

We asked our favourite guide how they felt about the President, they explained that the ordinary Egyptian is much worse off under the present regime.  Others expressed that they supported the government.  But, it was obvious they would be in trouble if they publicly made negative statements.

Aswan

Our Nuba Doola Guesthouse on Elphantine Island had a hard mattress but at least we were in one big bed together, unlike our previous single beds. The best part was the roof top garden where we ate breakfast and dinner.  The breakfast was great!  The cook made scrambled  eggs with sautéed peppers and tomatoes, then piled the table with plates of feta cheese, falafels, yoghurt, pita bread and fresh fruit.  Note:  the hardest time Esther had with our location was the 4:30 A.M. call to prayer- it was always the loudest call of the day!

The view from there was fantastic!  We overlooked a myriad of river sail boats-Feluccas, and in the background was the largest Roman Catholic Church in Egypt and then the famous Cataracts Hotel and the beautiful park beside it.  They were actually built on top of  remains of cataracts that had been left  high and dry by the first dam on the Nile.  When you stared at the smooth curved sandstone that the rapids had sandpapered smooth, it looked like it was carved by man.  The Cataract Hotel was made even more famous as the place Agatha Christie wrote some of her novel “Death on the Nile”.  Esther wanted to visit it, of course, as she was half way through the novel. We popped in to see if we could have a drink in the bar-No!  It had guarded entrances and was not open to the public.  We found out though, we peons could purchase a voucher for $300 Egyptian Pounds each (about 25 Canadian).  You could purchase drinks at the bar with the voucher-no refund, but it didn’t matter, the cheapest cocktail on the menu cost  more than the 300 pounds)!  It was very important to Esther so we went in ( note: the day before we go to Aswan, the Egyptian President had visited there.  The entire road in front of his hotel and our little ferry to Elephantine Island was blocked off and no cars were allowed- we would have had a hard time getting to our place.  Then the President left his very well guarded hotel to have a drink at the Cataract Hotel!- such company).

Esther sat on the outside deck of the bar, closed her eyes and pictured Agatha Christie (and also Winston Churchill- he had also stayed there) sitting in that very spot!  Her character Poirot took a Nile Cruise and the murders occurred on the ship.

Felucca

Our host arranged for a very inexpensive, hour long, sunset Felucca cruise on the Nile right in front of our hotel.  We were moving south fighting the current and it took us 45 minutes to get not that far passed the Cataracts Hotel and it took 10 minutes to sail back to our hotel dock.  Esther could not believe  a sailboat under full sail could travel that slowly- but, for Jim, we had a beautiful sunset!

Abu Simbel

We wanted to visit Abu Simbel- the famous gigantic statues of Ramses II, which had been built on the banks of the Nile but were in danger of becoming lost underwater when the Aswan High Dam was built.  

We drove 3 hours to reach the spot.  It is around 100 kms from the Egypt-Sudan border.  The lake formed by the dam was called Nassar Lake and was so large its waters were also in Sudan.

The statues were moved in a joint Unesco Operation in the early 1960s ( happy to see that Canada was one of the countries involved) to a position 65 feet higher and built into a man made mountain.

The sheer size of them was awe-inspiring!  We sat on benches and just stared in the heat and the silence.  Despite the all the tour groups and milling people, you felt  the majesty of the art.

We flew back to Cairo and stayed at a hotel that was a Nile Cruise boat.  We just vegged with room service, 2 English movie channels, delightfully warm bathrobes and slippers.

We were so happy we had seen Egypt’s important and rich historic places in the world and would not have missed it for anything- it was a dream come true!.

...but that said, it was not always easy travelling.


Portugal

2019-03-29 to 2019-04-18

We were looking forward to Portugal and were so glad that we got the most kind and friendly taxi driver who acted as our guide. He spoke English well and shared with us what we should see and do. I asked him about food and he said “ eat  bacalhau” which is cod, but also all Seafood, and he was so right.

We headed for Lisbon and our apartment called Penha 28. Ana was there with maps, metro cards, a bottle of wine and goodies. We were overwhelmed with how beautiful and homey the apartment was. We had a huge bedroom with closets galore, a living room with cuddly blankets and lots of English satellite tv, a huge kitchen with lots of extras in the cabinets—spices, pasta, oils and vinegars etc. And the cutest bathroom with a darling tiny tub. 

Off we went to explore the neighbourhood. Up and down the hilly cobbled streets. We tried to find the supermarket first but ended up having their famous cod for lunch. We went to a tiny cafe and tried the vegetable soup—green and tasty and cheap Ed says. The owner/chef explained in Portuguese that he would make cod the way he does at home —la Casa. It was great! Potatoes come with everything here—but these were tiny round chips and so delicately fried. With a glass of wine the bill came to 13 Euros and we were very happy. 

The next day we made our way to the most touristy icon-the Sao Jorge-St George’s Castle. We really worked out trying to walk there—about 40 minutes. We stood in line for tickets and the views, peacocks and history were excellent. Ed wanted to see the camera obscura—a 360 degree view—lenses and mirrors providing a picture of the harbour and city in real time.  We did the Portuguese tour because we didn’t want to wait for the English one.  We dined at a small cafe on the rail line for the Tram 28 historic cable car. I was very excited to try it and just to watch it ding by was wonderful. The waitress spoke excellent English and offered us cheese and olives. We learned at the end of the meal that what is offered is not free and you pay for what you eat. We did enjoy the local cheese but loved the fresh calamari—so tenderly cooked. There was an important soccer game on the tv and the locals stopped by a lot to check the score. The doorway was filled at one point. 

We so enjoyed our luxurious apartment and the baths were wonderful despite the fact that your feet were either 3 feet up the wall or your knees were sticking up.  Our first bath in 7  months. We were clean from showers guys. Our muscles ached from all the exercise.

Next it was time to explore the harbour—the monastery, the Belem Tower and downtown. We hopped on a bus and off we went. Unlike the other parts of Lisbon, downtown on the banks of the  Douro River is  flat. It was all rebuilt after the 1755 earthquake. We had a gorgeous day and even tried out a European tuck tuck. For dessert at dinner we had the famous custard tart—our waiter heated it up and then sprinkled cinnamon and icing sugar over it. Superb! We bought 2  more to take home. 

We saw ads for the Oceanario de Lisboa—Aquarium— and so learned how to use the metro trains to get to the other end of the city. The Aquarium is built with tanks  for the 4 major  ocean environments. And the windows are 3 stories high—you get to see the different fish at each level. I had to watch the movie “Finding Nemo” after our tour. The Sun fish was the weirdest one —looked prehistoric. The penguins were so cute and the starfish delightful. But by the time we were nearing the end we were at the bottom of the building in the dark basement and my claustrophobia kicked in. I wanted out. Well it is a bit of a maze and a young guide helped us out. Nearby was a shopping mall with a food court and we ended up sharing delicious Argentinian steak. 

I really really wanted to go on the Tram 28 but had read that is was always packed and you had to line up for a long time. But Ed reminded me that it was April and fewer tourists. We easily got on the Tram but had to stand for a while. A seat opened up and we took turns—could see much more seated. So glad we got to see more of the narrow cobbled streets. The tram was over a hundred years old and the driver had to physically get out to change the metal tracks.  

Next was Porto. Northern Portugal and we were going by local train. The weather turned cooler and we did have rainy weather for the 4 days. We were in the penthouse of a budget building. We had our own bathroom but very little hot water. We did have privacy in our Cinderella Room but it was very cold and we had to plug in the heater on full for 2  days. The kitchen was dirty and the building reeked of cigarettes despite all the non smoking signs. It was the cleaners and family who were smoking! We saved money and made good use of the kitchen and it was so much cleaner when we left. I had ordered the cod again at a restaurant and the serving was so huge we ate the leftovers for 3 meals—came with small cooked new potatoes, salad and cabbage. 

Porto is so walkable and we saw all the historic sights easily. We tried our first “Port”  wine from Porto— Ed bought the hot version and boy was it sweet!! We went to the famous “Lello” bookstore —JK Rowling went there a lot when she lived there and wrote the first Harry Potter book. We went up and down the windy stairs that people say inspired her for the stairs leading to the dormitories at Hogwarts. We saw people in black robes on the streets that were from the university. Rowling admitted that she did use these as a model for the Hogwarts student uniforms. We did go on another tram but it was a short ride. With rain pouring I decided to go shopping in a lovely mall and found some nice lingerie. 

Now the trip down south was interesting, for our train was running late and we only had 10 minutes in between to catch the next, and 3 minutes for the 3rd train. But they held the trains and we toasted our luck with wine and beer. Everyone smiled at how happy we were!! We were wondering if we would have to buy another train ticket if we missed one or stay overnight. But all ended well and we arrived in gorgeous Lagos. And we were whisked into the paradise of Susana. She picked us up for free, showed us where the grocery store and restaurants were and did our laundry for no charge—took us out on the Royal Fish Grotto Tour as our guide at a discount. She lived downstairs with her family—including a crazy mother who only spoke Portuguese. The first time we met the mother I thought she was a loonie that wandered the streets. But she grew on us. She liked us because we sat on the balcony and enjoyed her place. The guesthouse had 3 rooms, 1 shared bath and kitchen. You took turns and it was always very clean. Susana made sure of that. We learned the hard way how to navigate the windy cobblestone streets and sidewalks.  We had fabulous seafood meals at  Saibos. We had fantastic calamari, prawns with coconut and mussels in cilantro. Then I asked where we should go for Cataplana—famous Portuguese fish or seafood stew. The chef said she would go shopping especially for us and make it the next day. It was glorious!! 

Lagos is a Mediterranean paradise. It is Spanish looking with all the white houses and mostly orange tiled roofs. Then you see the gorgeous beaches, but it is the limestone cliffs that are amazing! Nature is gorgeous. Our boat tour was so wonderful—our boat was small enough to go into the grottoes. The captain of our small boat with only 2 of us navigated so well. I was nervous when we left the shelter of the coast and turned into the bigger ocean waves. But it was all worth it. 

I think we loved everything about Portugal because we were still remembering how harsh and rough travelling in Egypt was. Here everyone was so friendly and honest.  The streets are so clean. The food was so great. Oranges were fantastic. I think we ate 2 a day. 

We went to a fun science museum where they were explaining all the inventions the Portuguese sailors, engineers and inventors created. You got to try out experiments to see if you could test the inventions—both inside and outside in their park. It was so creative! I really enjoyed trying to drive the submarine where you had to control 3 devices at the same time. 

We said goodbye to Lagos and went to Faro for that is where we needed to fly out of to Italy. I got a sore throat and ear aches which are my signs of a cold coming. We took it easy for 2 days. We did a wonderful walking tour with a university student named Rita. She was a great teacher and explained about all the influences on Portugal—Romans, Germanic tribes, Arab’s, Spanish, etc. I wanted to hear Fado music and we went to a Portuguese guitar recital where he explained the sadness and loss in the songs. We climbed up one church tower which gave a beautiful view of the city and its protecting islands then went to a chapel built with the skulls and bones of the Parishioners of the church- it allowed their families to continue to honour them after death. The cemetery was overcrowded and so they made this tribute in the chapel. It wasn’t as creepy as I thought it would be. 

It is Easter weekend and we fly to Italy tomorrow. Looking forward to Verona and Venice first. 


La Dolce Vita—We Love 🇮🇹 Italy

2019-04-19 to 2019-05-03

We love Italy. Yes it is more expensive but we love the food, the sound of the Italian language- like music to the ear and the scenery is gorgeous—all the vineyards, churches and castles on tops of the hills and mountains. We have travelled by train and enjoy the comfort. Our first stop was to fly in to Milan from Portugal. The train station was connected to a rail line and we hopped on one for a short ride to the first stop which was where our BandB was located. We only had to walk down the street for 2 minutes and we were in a countryside setting.

Our host Ana welcomed us with fresh strawberries from her garden. We relaxed on her lawn chairs and drank wine (also complementary waiting for the local restaurant to open at 7 pm (we still have a hard time with restaurants being closed from 3 to 7- exactly the hours we are hungry!)The only weird thing was that her lawn was artificial astroturf. And boy did she love knickknacks and decorated every corner with ribbons and the scents—wow—potpourri was too strong for me. Our room was part of her enclosed carport and she had treats of every kind for our breakfast—yogurt, sandwiches, coffee machine and kettle, granola bars and cookies—she mentioned we had to try the Easter “Pasqua ” cake—white cake with chocolate chips inside and sprinkles on top. Our dinner at the restaurant was superb! I had pasta purses called fiocchi—filled with cheese, cream and egg. Ed had the tender grilled squid. Even the simple insalata mista was perfect with the heavenly olive oil and vinegars.

The next day we got the train to Milan Centrale Station—magnificent Roman architecture. The only thing we didn’t like was that they would not show you on the monitor which platform to go to until 15 minutes ahead—and you would have to walk as fast as you could with hundreds of others squishing you.

We were heading to Shakespearan city of Verona. We had a luxurious guest room in a suburb which was a 15 minute bus ride from the historic core. Our room was kept spotless by daily meticulous cleaning by the staff—we had a balcony, small dining room table and chairs, a tiny fridge, and a pampered bathroom with a bidet and a room spritzer that would go on the second you entered the bathroom—do I stink that much? It was Easter weekend and very few restaurants or shops were open except a fancy mall-a 15 minute walk away. So we headed there for dinner and groceries. The bells were ringing for Easter Sunday but no buses or taxis for us to get us to the historic core. So the manager, Andre took us there himself. He dropped us off at the arena—the grand ancient Roman amphitheater that still holds operas and concerts. We ate at a huge sidewalk restaurant that was full of locals. We had great food—the simple ingredients were so excellent—what was in that lasagna sauce??

I was eager to see Romeo and Juliet landmarks. Off we went to the balcony and house of the Capulets. The line up to get into the tunnel to reach the house was long and so we just glimpsed in. We would go on after Easter. We have had the luxury of time. We walked around the beautiful streets and saw a famous market. Ed bought me a pearl ring—I was so missing my diamond wedding ring. I had heard about the Juliet Club through the movie “ Letters to Juliet.” Was this club real? Yes -I wrote them and we made an appointment. We were welcomed by the Club Manager and she showed us the letters and replies. Files and boxes from the heartbroken around the world. Volunteers write back as Juliet. She said we could write back if we wanted to but we felt that was too much of a responsibility. It was a dream come true! I did make it to Juliet’s balcony but Ed had to suffer by waiting and waiting in the square below—the lines inside the house were tiring and as well we all wanted that moment on the balcony. Shakespeare got the idea of Romeo and Juliet from poets and writers before him from Verona. We also went to Juliet’s tomb. Our guesthouse manager took us personally back to the train station as a goodbye gift. Off to Venice!

I could barely sleep at the thought of seeing this unique and magnificent city of water. We arrived and had to figure out our first boat ride—vaporetto—to the Rialto Bridge. We got front seats and it was like our own personal tour. Yes it is basically a bus on water but the romantic crazy Esther loved it.  Okay we had to lug our suitcases and backpacks over 3 bridges, tiny alleys, piazzas—dealing with people, carts, umbrellas—yikes and ouch! But we had the most fabulous time in our corner top “penthouse.” We looked right over a canal and square with shops and cafes. We watched the daily life of delivering and transporting everything without cars or trucks. We even liked the colourful garbage boat and recycling boats. We could see the angel of the Campinile Tower at St Mark’s Square from our windows.

Off we went and it was a WOW—moment. We had the Rick Steve’s audioguide to listen to and we learned a lot. I wanted to see the inside of St.Mark’s Basilica which looks on the outside like a palace from the Middle East. Many of its treasures were stolen from the lands that the Roman Empire had conquered, especially Turkey. On the inside the ceiling is slathered in sheets of gold and mosaics. The marble too was taken from Turkey and brought to Venice in ships.  The mosaics are biblical art—They say it is the bible explained overhead in pictures for the illiterate congregation.

Ed and I both went into the Doge’s Palace which is the Duke’s seat of government. The walls were covered with lavish paintings —some as big as a volleyball court. The size of the 2 great halls were amazing and were said to be able to hold 2000 men- all men 25 and older were invited to decide on political decisions- no mention of the 25 year and older women!

But in stark contrast we went into the prison which is connected to the palace by the Bridge of Sighs. Ed says that it is interesting that at first the prisoners were kept in the basement of the Palace until tried. When convicted they were taken to the prison over the bridge and supposedly sighed as they had their last look of Venice and freedom. It is fascinating to note that the prisoners preferred the prison in the palace for it was too moist and mouldy and hot in the palace. Esther had her claustrophobia rear it’s ugly head crossing the narrow bridge and then going into bowels of the dungeons—we kept going around and around the cells and it looked like there would be no escape. Ed scouted out ahead and found the exit! Hurray!

We wanted to end our trip in Cinque Terre (near Pisa/Florence) . From the no tree Venice to the forested mountains of the west coast of Italy was such a change.  The next day we took a bus to a small village on the Mediterranean Sea.  From there we caught a train that ran to another 5 stops, the being Monterosso.  We then hiked the 2 hour trail from Monterosso to Vernazza the 4th stop on the run.They said there were 600 steps and it felt like it. But it was amazing to be so near the sea and see the houses and vineyards and gardens terraced into the mountain.  We then had a fabulous spaghetti with seafood meal for two and a bottle of good red wine as a reward for aches and pains we would suffer the next day.  But it turned out  to be a happy ending, we were quite fine!                    

Off to France! Here we come Provence. 


Arrivederci... Italy...Bonjour France

2019-05-04 to 2019-05-05

We left our picturesque little village, Biassa, tucked into the Italian mountains and headed to sea level and the town of La Spezia to catch the train west (The same place we got off the train when arriving here- disembarked and headed to the station that said Spezia- a kind stranger said there are 2 stations in this town, you need to get back on the train.  We ran as fast as we could drag our 5 bags, lept on board just as the doors closed!).

Some wise person (probably a Richardson) said, “The toughest thing about travelling is the travelling!)  We caught the first train, changed trains in Genoa, Italy on to Ventimigli, Italy, changed trains then headed toward the Cote D’Ajur, passing Monaco and Monte Carlo (Did think about stopping and playing a little Texas Hold’em but Esther wouldn’t let me get off the train).  The only problem I found with the train ride was the tunnels as we followed the coast.  You would be coming up on a gorgeous section and then suddenly hit another tunnel.  It became, “Oh, look at that beautiful”...and immediately fade to black. Then again, then again...”What a lovely...BLACK!

We changed trains again in Antibes then passed Cannes (I wouldn’t let Esther get off the train-what’s good for the goose...)then headed to our final stop, for the night, at Cagnes-sur-Mer, in the outskirts of Nice 

If we didn’t love France already, we would have fallen for it there.  We got off the train and went to the area for taxis but none to be found there, and so headed to the street to see if we could hail one there.  None to be seen!  We thought about walking but weren’t sure exactly where our apartment was located.  Just as we were walking away, a small bus pulled into the taxi parking lot.  Esther went over and talked to the driver to see if he could help us.  Esther called me over saying he would help (Esther’s gregarious charm worked again!)  He said, “No charge...I will take you part of the way!).  He drove us to another spot, got off the bus and took us across a square and told us to take this other small bus, that was also free for tourists ( a good will thing from the Nice transportation network).  A lady on the bus helped with the English and we ended half way up a mountain and told us to get off there and just follow this narrow winding road (which changed names three times as we searched for it.)  I am still surprised we found it.  We followed the directions of the person who managed the place; he couldn’t be there to greet us.  They had left the door open (key was supposed to be on the door knob).  We still weren’t 100% sure this was our place but went in and looked around and found they had left the key in the lock on the inside.  The next morning we left the key in the lock, on the inside hoping we had been in the right place!


Provence -Southern France

2019-05-05 to 2019-05-19

We wanted to explore the south of France on this trip. Five years ago we travelled to the Loire Valley, Normandy for World War 2/D Day history and Paris. On our last trip we found out that we really enjoyed art and art history—the Louvre for Mona-, Orangerie for Monet and Renoir, and Rodin. This time we were going to learn about Cezanne and Van Gogh. We were going to stay in Aix en Provence and Arles. 

We rented a small apartment in the heart of Aix. We were a 5 minute walk from the historic area so easy access to grocery stores, cafes, galleries and museums. Aix is a great walking small city—beautiful cobbled streets and gorgeous historic yellow buildings—Aix did glow! We had a lovely balcony and were surprised 2 mornings by a wonderful street market. We bought all our fresh fruit and vegetables there—strawberries in an old fashioned organic basket, melon, onions, tomatoes, mixed mesclun, mushrooms, eggs—you picked what you wanted and put them into a plastic basket and then the seller weighed them and gave you a tiny receipt. 

The mistral—the strong wind of southern France - was blowing hard and caused my hay fever to flare up. Ed had to suffer my loud and wild sneezing. I bought so much Kleenex!! I translated hay fever medicine into French and got pills from the pharmacy. But I was stuffed up for 2 whole weeks. 

We followed the footsteps of Cezanne—a gold C set into the sidewalks and streets. Places like where he went to school, to church, houses where he lived. He painted the local mountain Sainte-Victoire many, many times. We visited his last studio. It was great to see his easel, paint boxes, brushes, objects he painted. He was rejected and ridiculed during his lifetime. After his death he was viewed as a great genius impressionist who contributed to cubism and geometric art—praised by Picasso, Degas and Matisse. We loved the galleries which displayed his work and other great masters. I stood in front of an early Van Gogh in awe—no glass protected it. No crowds like at the Mona Lisa at the Louvre where you only got a glimpse with all the other tourists snapping away and pushing you out of the way. I just stood there. I got up so close. It was magical.

Then we went to Arles famous for Van Gogh. We were farther away from the core but in a large quiet apartment. We had a big kitchen and a back yard where we could hang our laundry on a drying rack. We did not have much luck with French restaurants. They were either too expensive -50-60-70 Euros for 2. Or we did not like the menu of the ones opened—lots of pate and charcuterie—and the ones we liked only opened after 7 or 8 or 9 pm. We shared one fantastic lunch with dauphinois potatoes (like scalloped potatoes), vegetables Provençal, French onion soup and beef tenderloin. It was displayed like a work of art. 

Again we walked in the footsteps of the artist —but this time the city displayed the paintings of Vincent Van Gogh at the sites where he painted them. So we had a map and it was like a treasure hunt. Many times were were frustrated by the twisty lanes but Ed did a fantastic job with his compass. 

I wanted to see some of the Roman architecture from 2000 years ago so off we went to Pont Du Gard- First a train, then a bus and then a walk. I had read that we could rent kayak/canoes to go under the bridge but it was too early in the year and there were none there. We did see some kayaks  but they had rented them from a site where you needed a car to get there. I was very sad but we had a lovely picnic and enjoyed the museum teaching all about how this bridge/ aqueduct was built. 

It was too early for the famous lavender of Provence. We had a lovely relaxed time in southern France-Aix and Arles. We went to Marseille for 3 days for we needed to take either a plane or train to Paris. Marseille was rough and our apartment was shocking at first. The entry way was filthy and disgusting. I shut the entry door and said this can’t be our place. There was no one to meet us. I had no free wifi so walked to another run down hotel and asked if They could help me with wifi. He finally understood my English and I Whatsapped our contact. He was there in 2 minutes. We were at the right address. I was ready to say no thanks we are not staying here. But he led us up the windy fire trap stairway to a small remodelled apartment with 2 rooms. It actually looked ok. We stayed. Down the street was a beautiful huge church and lovely large boulevards. (We did learn to be careful with using Google Map directions!  Their directions had us leave the train station, head 4 blocks West, then another 4 blocks south, then 5 blocks east then one final turn north and we were there. As we learned the neighbourhood around us when finding a barber for me and a laundromat, our apartment was only 2 blocks south of the train station!)

I wanted to go to the wild and crazy Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilizations—MUCEM. It was right near the harbour and only a 35 minute walk according to google maps. So off we went—but my iPhone left out street names and so we headed in the general direction. They said we had to go up, up, up some stairs and we entered a maze of lanes. We met many other tourists and an Australian couple who was also trying  to find the museum. We hobbled on and finally hit the ocean harbour and there it was. Now the MUCEM has 1 permanent gallery which tells of the history of the Mediterranean people. The other exhibits were temporary and far out—the effect of music/dance, modern art makes you angry and joyful at the same time. After walking the maze of streets to get there now we had to get through the maze of hallways to see the galleries.  The museum is situated on acres of concrete with footbridges to connect it to the Fort Saint Jean from the 1600’s. 

We left the South by train for Paris. 


Paris

2019-05-19 to 2019-05-31

We headed back to an apartment building we had had 5 years ago in the Malakoff area. This time we got a smaller square studio with a wheelchair accessible bathroom. At first I didn’t like it that the bathroom had no shower curtain but it was good. Last time our shower stall leaked badly and we had to use our towels to mop up each time we had a shower. I sure like the heated towel racks in Europe—the towels and laundry dry so easily. 

We loved the boulangerie in our block for their croissants. 3 blocks away was a large grocery store. A wonderful East Indian restaurant opened up nearby so we enjoyed our favourites—butter chicken and korma vegetables. 

We wanted to do four main things inside and outside of Paris: see the severity of the fire damage done to Notre Dame, go up the Eiffel Tower, go to Versailles Palace and Monet’s Giverny. We had bought the Navigo pass so we could go for unlimited Metro/tram/bus rides for 1 week. We went to Notre Dame first and walked the entire way around the cordoned off area. The cranes and men were working hard to replace and stabilize the walls and windows. We listened to Rick Steves and followed his tour of the historic Left Bank. We had a break with French Onion Soup. Esther also wanted to see the famous Moulin Rouge Theatre so we hopped on the Metro. 

Next was Versailles and the palace and garden. I bought a passport ticket with a specific time so avoided all the long lines—we simply walked right up to the security and within minutes we were handed our audio guides. Ed was very impressed for he saw the hundreds of people lined up to buy tickets and those who had tickets but with no specific time. I had read on TripAdvisor what to do for each venue—Eiffel, Giverny, La Orangerie. The palace is overwhelming with video presentations on the palace’s history, room after room with historic paintings, and then all the bedrooms and sitting rooms—we finally got to the room I was interested in—the hall of mirrors. So gorgeous with all the chandeliers. Ed and I danced a bit in this ballroom imagining the ballgowns. Ed saw the bedroom where Marie Antoinette at first escaped the rebels by going down a secret passage through a hidden door

The gardens beckoned us as we gazed out the huge windows. We got on the mini-train to see the first modest palaces the royalty had lived in. We ate lunch at the Grand Canal and walked the Royal Walk past Apollo’s Chariot Fountain. It was a gorgeous day and we wondered if we would get sunburnt. We spent 5 hours and only saw 1/4 of the gardens and all of the palace. We would have liked to have come a second day and would have rented the bikes or golf carts. We were exhausted by walking by the time we got back—a suburban train, a metro train and then our train and a walk to our hotel.

We changed apartments after 1 week trying out a more upscale area. We loved the building: its free fitness room, a spa sauna and lap pool you could rent by the hour and a laundry room in the basement. Our apartment was larger and we cooked many meals including ratatouille. 

We went up the Eiffel Tower—had another timed ticket and within 15 minutes we were going towards the elevator. We took the elevator up to the second platform and walked down. My claustrophobia was kicking in and I didn’t think I would like the top level or the elevator or the caged stairs going down. Ed wanted to walk down and bribed me—bought me a gorgeous pink scarf if I would walk down. There was so much information on each level about Eiffel and his engineers and the history of what had all happened on the tower. It was a fantastic time and we both were so much more impressed than what we thought it would be like with the whole visit. 

We were close to Sacre Coeur and so walked to it one afternoon. Again we met stairs and more stairs until we made it to the top of the mountain-like area of Montmartre. I went inside and Ed stayed outside and suffered a freak hail and rainstorm and was soaked by the time I was out. 

We so enjoyed Claude Monet’s paintings and wanted to see his gardens and house. We went early and decided to walk from the village of Vernon where the train lets you out. You could take a bus or mini train and in 15 minutes be there but we walked for an hour in the beautiful French countryside. It  was a lovely day and we had a delicious lunch in a cafe in Giverny. Again the food was like art—Ed’s mushroom soup was like a mousse, and my pork medallions were perfect with 2 sauces—oh the  French and their sauces. Ed and I have said we are going to educate ourselves more about French Cooking—where is our Julia Child cookbook—we know my sister Bev cooks from it and Richard and Sylvia’s beef bourgenon was fantastic. We got to Monet’s place and went straight to the Japanese gardens—the water lilies were in bloom. You could see how Monet got so much inspiration from walking through his water gardens. I posed here and there as others did. Ed was taken with the bamboo Monet had planted. The flower gardens were filled with colours—the irises of every colour—even black. Again it was fascinating to see how Monet carefully chose which plants and where to place them.  It was interesting to see where Monet slept and ate—Ed loved the dining room and kitchen. Does he miss his housework?? No!! 

We wanted to see the Monet’s huge lily panels once more so we went back to the Musée de L’Orangerie. We picked up a salad and had a light lunch in the Louvre Tuileries garden—we sat right in front of a huge fountain—Paris had set out lawn chairs for everyone. It was wonderful. Then to the art gallery—the panels were breathtaking again. We kept looking at the photos of his lilies on my iPhone and then at the paintings. We went downstairs to see my favourite Renoir—girls at the piano.

We got the Eurostar to London. Watch out Britain here we come!


London

2019-06-01 to 2019-06-13

We love London. We love the shows, the history and the sights. Of course we love the fish and chips and we can speak the language—although we ask people to repeat and they ask us too. 

We started with a Canadian show—Come From Away—the story about 911 and the planes could not land in the USA. Ed says it was great and made him proud to be a Canadian —especially because of the hospitality and generosity of the Newfoundlanders. I loved the choir aspect to the musical numbers-such harmony. The West End in London has such low ticket prices-most of our shows were around $40 Canadian each-yes we were up in the nose bleed seats but we were there!!

Now off to Shakespeare! Esther needed to be at the Globe again, so we went to see a history play called Henry the 4th part 1. It was fascinating and totally mind blowing because the women played men’s roles and different ethnic actors played 1 family. It was challenging to remember who was who. Great fight scenes! 

Tate Modern Gallery was a little far out for us especially because we had immersed ourselves in the classic masters in France. I still was glad to find Salvador Dali’s surrealistic lobster phone. 

Westminster Abbey was fabulous! We bought tickets beforehand and had to stand in a long, long line in the rain and cold. But the line was just for security-after 30 minutes we sailed through the ticket line (I love timed online tickets) and within minutes were inside with our headsets for our audio tour—we were an hour ahead of our appointed time but they said go on through. We took our time and did 2 hours on our own. I saw a sign for tours and we got one for an additional 7 pounds with a verger-church official. For 1 1/2 hours he told jokes and detailed history to us. We got to do extra things like go into the boys choir loft, go up to a private area of tombs. Great to see the Coronation Chair especially after watching the movie The King’s Speech. We loved the poets corner with dedications to CS Lewis, Dickens, Laurence Olivier, Oscar Wilde. We were surprised by the science corner of the Abbey with Darwin, Isaac Newton and Stephen Hawking. The only grave you cannot walk on is The Unknown Soldier. 

Now Esther loves Agatha Christie even more than I do and so we went to The Mousetrap play she wrote. The show has been playing since 1952–for 67 years! The stage design was old fashioned 1940’s England. 

At Paddington station we had to find the bear —got my photo and trinket. And bought delicious high tea sandwiches from Marks and Spencer’s. We both thought the coronation chicken was the best. 

We returned to London after researching Ed’s family history in many villages. We went to Wimbledon. Only took 2 hours to get tickets-last time it took almost 4 hours. They are way more organized and we were lined up with hundreds of others on a field but we kept moving. So from 2 pm - 8:30 pm we took in all the tennis fun. We roamed the grounds and watched doubles (even saw  bad boy Kyrgios play mixed doubles), drank Pimms/cider, tried to find shade, sat on the famous Henman hill at a picnic table. Got to cheer for Djokovic’s game (we on the hill were cheering for opponent Hurkacz) and teenage sensation Coco’s battle. We wanted to watch Canadian Felix but he was inside playing and they did not project it. Raonic was there earlier and won. 

We went downtown for the biography show of Gloria and Emilio Estevez called On Your Feet. It was the same day as the Pride Parade- over 30,000 in the parade and 1 million on the streets. We were packed like sardines in the tube stations. It was crazy fun on the streets with all the outrageous costumes. I even bought a rainbow flag for my classroom. 

Off to Prague and Germany for 1 week. Then Blackpool England for 1 week and back to Canada July 27.


Genealogy And Bath/Stonehenge/Stratford/Oxford fun

2019-06-12 to 2019-07-03

Ed found out that his family came from all over England—Near Bath, the city of London, near Oxford, Leeds and Newcastle upon Tyne. 7 out of 8 grandparents emigrated to Canada. 

We started near Bath in a village called Calne. We were trying to find the Cliffords from the 1800’s. We went to the visitor centre who sent us to the history centre who sent us to a 1000 year old Parish Church who sent us to the Parish office who sent us to an Ancestry Centre in a nearby town. We were overwhelmed with the helpfulness and kindness of strangers who found out that we were looking up family. Calne is loaded with the family name of Clifford. It was fascinating to see the actual Parish records of marriages, deaths, baptisms. I was supposed to be quiet but I did give out a few YAHOO’s when we came upon names we were looking for. Ed and Lucille had been working hard on genealogy for many years and here was my first glimpse. Ed was sad that we never found the graves for any of the Cliffords.

We went to Bath for tourist fun like the Jane Austen Museum. Walked our feet off and enjoyed the beautiful city.

We were staying in Travelodge Hotels for 3 weeks and were so grateful for their help with bus maps, train schedules and suggestions. Because I had booked over 10 months in advance we got the room for $50-60 Canadian —it was shocking to hear the prices others paid for the same room—100-150 dollars a night. 

Stonehenge was a fabulous communing with nature experience because we got there solstice evening. The access to the stones was open wide and you could go right up to them. We walked the 7 miles there and back through fields, lanes, ancient Druid paths, through raindrops and by sheep. There were some people dressed in Druid costumes. We did not stay overnight with the thousands to watch the sunrise through the stone columns. 

Stratford-upon-Avon was next and we laughed at the outrageous As You Like It. The huge puppet at the end was a great surprise. We enjoyed the Stratford hands on museum with its history and fun. 

Banbury was the jewel of our family history adventure.  (Ed)  This may only interest members of the Kaye/Sabin Great-Grandparents side of our family.  We used Banbury as the base for our searches through nearby small villages connected to the two families who married into the Turner/Turner family. Both our great grandfather Alexander and our great grandmother Eliza had the same last name. We don’t know if they were related or if it was a coincidence.

We headed to the countryside village of Hook Norton by bus. We landed at the church where a Clydesdale horse and cart was waiting for us from the famous brewery. We said we had to go to church first and would come later. Ed had instructions that his great Grandfather lived in the area that touched the church fence to Coltscombe Brook to the upper berry field. We got our information from the 1881 Census. We had lunch at the brewery and were ready for the 1 hour walk to the Sibfords—tiny villages. Ed mentioned that his great grandfather was a thresher’s attendant so we imagined him in these fields. It was a long, long way with few signs and Ed was ready to give up when we came upon a glorious little farm with a big sign pointing to Sibford Gower. We admired the gorgeous lawns and cute stone house. So on we went and arrived and needed more help. We asked 2 ladies where the church was and mentioned what we were doing and Marianne offered to help us. She met us at the church and we looked at a very old graveyard map and saw the name Kaye—Ed’s great great grandfather. Marianne started looking in one area and we, with her son William headed in another direction. We heard a yell and she had found it! A miracle. At the bottom of the gravestone was the name of his great great grandmother Mary. 

Ed mentioned that he had a Sabin in the family and Marianne said this village is loaded with them. She wanted to take us to the other Sibford Ferris village to meet the Sabins on the farm. Guess where we went? To the cute farm we had seen before! We met William Sabin and his wife and started talking ancestry. Ed showed him the material he had and William told us his farm Temple Mill had been in the family for 200 years. Ed thinks his great grandmother Clara was born on this farm/mill. So William could be a cousin! He kindly drove us back to the city and we were exhausted and happy!

Because we were nearby Oxford we did some family detective work at the History Center but even with the help of the chief librarian we could not find any more records. I wanted to have fun in Oxford so the next day we signed up for a walking tour—the theme was British television series: Detectives-Morse, Lewis and Endeavor with all the sights of Oxford.  We recognized many.  We got both the history of Oxford and television trivia. 

Off to Leeds to find out where great grandmother Eliza Turner lived and the grave site of her husband. We started at the library—we love libraries and librarians. We knew many of the streets where they had lived no longer existed. She got us out maps from 1901 and there were the streets we were searching for—again I yelled out loud and hit Ed in the arm. We were also looking for a grocery store on the street so she gave us an old book on businesses. There it was! She matched them up with the streets today and off we went for 2 hours of walking after two hours of fact finding. The streets were mainly wiped out to accommodate new construction in the early 1900s. The other was a long long walk by highways and overpasses. We went one street too far and asked a young woman which street we were looking for—she did not know but was so worried about us she came back and showed us on her iPhone how to get there—she also said Happy Canada Day! We laughed so hard when we saw the tiny lane—there still was a business there—a garage— but we were so disappointed-only 36 paces long left of the street. 

Now we went to prison. I was nervous. Ed’s great grandfather, Alexander Turner, went to prison for gambling debts we think. We took a photo and then Ed wanted to see if there was a headstone at the Beckett Cemetery for him (my sister Lucille had discovered the grave site online). Ed emailed the cemetery and they gave explicit directions on how to find the grave. We searched and voila—there was his name. I put a stone on the top of the headstone in memorium. We said a few words to him about how we found him. We are now interested in looking up his Scottish heritage.